Merriment and Malice
by BreHehe
Summary: A Human Transmutation performed on a live human has never been done before, and the results are quite interesting: a half human, half homunculus mutt. The question isn't how this happened, but what side will she choose? Set in '03 anime.
1. Chapter 1: The Accident

**So… I said I wasn't going to write anymore. But this story has been nagging at me for roughly two weeks. Like, I lost sleep because this story was itching to be written. Well, at least the first chapter. I'm not really sure where I want this story to go, so ANY ideas are greatly welcomed. As for storyline, I plan to stick to the '03 anime because it's shorter. Anyway, on with the show!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, including the plot and characters. I simply own the main character.**

To anyone else, the day would have seemed wonderful. The sun was high in the sky, birds were chirping, and the sound of children playing and laughing could be heard in the distance. In contrast to the outside world, there was something eerily quiet about this house. It was like the world was _mocking_ what had just happened, what just happened to _me._ _**My idiot father… He caused this. He couldn't bear to lose me… So instead he turned me into… into this **_**monster**_**.**_

_Wait… no. My father was a good man. After Mom died from that strange disease, he cherished my life because we only had each other. He even quit his job and just took to studying alchemy for the State so he could stay with me all the time. He taught me some alchemy, even though I ended up not being too good at it. But if he loved me so much, why did he turn me into this? _

I noticed my eyes were closed, and fought to open them. I shook my head and blinked a couple of times, trying to clear my vision and my mind, both of which seemed to be covered in a haze. Finally, I was able to look around the room. Because of the lilac walls, I figured I was in my room. The odd thing was… why was I in the middle of it? I looked down and saw that I was in my bed, which was normal enough. I looked at the floor and noticed an extremely complicated transmutation circle.

That's when it the memories flooded back.

Oh, that's what happened. Apparently whatever killed my mom was also passed onto me, leaving me in a coma-like state for who knows how long. Dad thought I was dead and tried to bring me back with Human Transmutation.

_**Yes! The moron turned me into a monster. My soul wasn't completely at the Gate. I was still alive, barely, but still alive. But he was too much in 'despair' to notice that I still had a faint pulse. He decided to open the Gate and sacrificed his whole being for the rest of my soul. I guess the Gate was satisfied since I wasn't completely dead yet. The only good thing that came out the deal was that I saw a bit of the Truth as he was pulled into the Gate by those long, black hands. The worst part is that he didn't even see that my soul was still there. He has no idea the mistake he's made! He should have just let me die. **_

_No! He loved me! That's why he wanted me to live! _

_**Or he was too weak and selfish to live alone, knowing his whole family was dead, and there was nothing he could do about it.**_

The confusion of thoughts caused me to scream. Then for some reason, I took off and ran. I ran out of my room, down the staircase, past the pictures of family, out the door, down the meadow, through the woods, and through the… wait. _Where am I?_ I slowed myself down as I walked into a clearing. Soon, I could see this large, beautiful mansion. I froze in my tracks and stared in awe at the pale yellow home with a stunning red roof, large windows, and balconies. _Why did I come here of all places? I've never even been here before…_

"Ah, there you are. I've been expecting you."

I jumped at the noise, and turned toward the direction of the voice. My eyes landed on an old woman on the front steps of the house. She looked like the perfect grandmother with her gray hair, winkles, soft spoken voice, and overall demeanor. Her comforting voice floated in the air, "Here, come inside, it's starting to get dark out."

My eyes widened slightly with the description of time and noticed that the sun was indeed setting. _How long had I been running?_ After I stopped thinking about the time, I noticed that my feet were moving. I couldn't help but follow this woman, like there was an invisible leash dragging me after her. I helplessly followed, taking in my surroundings. The inside of the house was also a pale yellow which contrasted with the dark hardwood floors. There was dark green running along the bottom of the walls that were cut into squares by boarders the same wood as the flooring. The house was simple, but still held an air of grandeur and sophistication.

She eventually led me to what looked like a dining room, because there was a long cherry wood table. What was odd was that the only thing on the table was a white plate containing a pile of what appeared to be red stones. The woman motioned to the chair in front of the plate, and I immediately sat down, suspiciously eying what was on the plate in front of me.

"Eat, it's candy," the soothing tone of her command forced me to pick up a scoop of the stones with my hands and eat. It was a strange taste, but mainly unpleasant. However, I couldn't help but continue to eat it, like my life depended on it. Soon, the plate was gone, and I turned to the woman. She simply sat there with a smile on her face. Suddenly, a surge of energy coursed through my veins.

Finally, I had the strength to speak, even though my voice was weak and raspy, "Who are you? Why am I here? Why did that 'candy' taste horrible, but I couldn't stop myself from eating it?"

Her smile did not falter as she spoke, "My name is Dante. You, my dear, are a homunculus, but a rather strange one. Nonetheless, I am your master. But, what is your name?"

"My name is Emmeline," I warily stated, my voice coming in clearer. I knew I couldn't trust her, but I felt the need to do whatever she asked of me.

"Well, that name will never do." Her smile dropped as she gently grabbed my chin and looked straight into my eyes. "You also cannot have a traditional homunculus name since you certainly are not one. But I see something in your eyes…" she paused as if deep in thought. Then that smile graced her features once more.

"Welcome home, Malice."

**Short first chapter, but just enough to open. The following chapters should be longer, I'm shooting for roughly 4-5k words per chapter. Let me know what you think about the idea so far, and I'm open for ideas. I should be able to update this weekend. I also may be looking for beta readers, I'm not quite sure yet. Anyway, please review or PM me for anything about the story (like should I even continue, haha). Till next time!**


	2. Chapter 2: The Discoveries

**Author's Note: So, I'm pretty excited for this new chapter! This chapter and probably the next two will not include Edward Elric. Which is sad. Because Edward is sexy. But all in good time! Without any further ado, here's the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Edward Elric, his story, or his whole world. I only own Emmeline/Malice.**

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The next morning, I woke up to the feeling of sun hitting my face. '_Ugh, I had the weirdest dream.' _Stretching and opening my eyes, I noticed I was in a large dark green bed in a larger pale green room.

_**Nope, it wasn't a dream… I'm still a monster. At least I have a name for myself now. Somewhere I belong.**_

Sighing to myself, I thought about these dark thoughts that started yesterday. It was truly strange. It wasn't like another voice inside of my head, but rather a second personality of myself. _'Thank God, it doesn't come around all of the time, and it can't control my body… yet anyway. Is it merely weak now? Will it be able to control me later? Or will my personality and this new one eventually merge into one?'_

I was pulled out of my thoughts by a soft knocking sound. Without my consent, Dante walked through the door, her signature smile on her face. "Good morning, dear Malice," her light tone carried into the room.

As she came into view, I noticed that she had a tray filled with many different, tasty looking kinds of breakfast foods and a plate filled with more of those nasty stones. Even though those stones were disgusting, once the tray was in arm's reach, I took the plate and shoveled the stones down as fast as my mouth would let me. Dante just chuckled softly as she watched me move onto the other real food. She gracefully sat on the edge of the bed I was laying in. We sat in silence until I was finished until I was finished eating. The food tasted soooo wonderful, like I hadn't eaten in months.

While I was leaning back against the pillows, savoring the feeling of a full stomach, Dante finally spoke up, "I would like to give you a physical today, both mentally and physically. You are certainly an interesting case, and I would like to know more about you. Afterwards, you'll meet the others like you. For now, please put these on for the physical," she handed me a pile of clothes, "There is a door at the end of the hallway if you make a left out of this room, that's where I will examine you. There is also a bathroom right across of this room. Please take no longer than 15 minutes."

I watched her stand up and quietly leave, pushing the tray in front of her. I looked at the pile of clothes in my hands. The pile consisted of a black sleeveless shirt, black shorts, and of course undergarments and hair ties. Stretching once more, I slowly got up and walked to the bathroom.

The bathroom was just as plain as the rest of the house with white walls, tile floor, bathtub, toilet, and sink. I quickly did my business, washed my face, and changed clothes. It was only now that I noticed I was wearing a pale blue night dress and no shoes. _'Must be what my father left me in when I was sick.' _Shrugging the thought aside, I managed to find a comb. It took at least five minutes to comb my black, waist-length hair. It was so painful because my hair is so curly, and curls love to get knotted. After it was all smoothed out, I parted it down the middle and put it into two high pony-tails.

I took the extra time I had to look over my appearance. The first thing I noticed that my usual tan skin was a couple shades lighter and my high cheek bones were unusually pronounced. My black eyes seemed even bigger than they normally are on my almost sunken in face. My sight traveled downwards and I noticed how my rib and hip bones protruded slightly. However, my body looked a lot more developed from…well… puberty. My hips were a little wider and my chest slightly bigger, which, I'm not going to lie, was a pleasant surprise. _'Geez, how long was I out for? Last time I checked, I looked like a child. I also looked normal, I almost look dead.' _I did one more spin in the mirror before I folded my night dress and placed it on the bed in the room which I guessed was mine.

I walked down the hall where there was an open door like the old woman said there would be. As I was walking down the hall I noticed how quiet the house was. _'Does anyone else even live with her?'_

Before I could dwell on the thought more, I arrived at the door. Even though it was cracked open, I still knocked lightly on it until Dante invited me in. The white room looked like a typical doctor's office with an examining table and counter full of many instruments for the doctor to use. She motioned to the table, and I obediently hopped up, slightly swinging my legs. Dante came up to me with a clipboard and a pen.

"First I will ask you a series of questions, and then I will check your vitals." I simply nodded in understanding. "Date of birth?"

"October 3rd, 1899."

"Age is 15 then?"

My eyes bugged out slightly at that, and my voice clearly held my astonishment, "What?! What's today's date?"

"April 16th, 1915. How long were you sick for?"

I was slightly taken by surprise at the fact that she knew I was sick. I was pretty sure that I didn't mention it. Nonetheless, I responded, "For a little more than a year I think. No wonder my dad thought I was dead…" I looked up to see a look on her face that told me to continue, "He thought I was dead. So he performed Human Transmutation on me, without knowing I was alive. He traded in his whole being for the rest of my soul."

She wrote every word I said down. "Interesting. Do you remember your life before this?"

I just nodded.

"Anything different that you've noticed?"

I hesitated wondering if I should tell her about the second personality. I quickly concluded that it couldn't do any harm since she seemed to know more about what happened to me than I did, "I think I have a new personality. It's not like a new voice in my head, but more like my own thoughts, only darker."

She smiled again, "That is completely normal. Many new homunculi have trouble with their past and new personalities. They'll slowly form into one personality. I saw some of that darkness in you earlier, which is why I named you Malice. Moving on, has anything changed body wise?"

"Other than being skinnier, no."

"Can you do anything special, such as alchemy or fighting?"

"I've never tried fighting, but Dad taught me alchemy. However, I ended up not being too good at it."

Her smiled only became wider as she handed me a piece of paper, pen, and some tongue depressors. "Can you try to transmute these into a horse figurine?"

I nodded and got to work, quickly drawing the transmutation circle. After it was done, I put the wooden sticks in the center. I closed my eyes, concentrating on a horse, and then pressed my hands on the edge of the circle. The blinding blue light emanated from the circle. When it dissipated, there was a little wooden horse.

Dante seemed very pleased, so much so that I could hear it in her voice, "Very good. Now I need you to stand up to take your height and weight," I stood where she pointed to. "Height is 5'2" and weight is 95 pounds. You are most definitely are underweight. You need to gain at least twenty pounds. Since most homunculi do not have working organs, this may be impossible. So now we will check that. Please lay back down on the table."

I lifted myself onto the table again and lay down. She felt around my stomach, and had me sit up to check my blood pressure, heart, and lungs, all while making many notes and a look of clear fascination etched onto her face. "So, it looks like you are a complete human, except for the fact that you have a Philosopher's Stone. I'm not quite sure what would happen if the stone was removed though. But it looks like your organs are normal. Another oddity is that you have two Ouroboros symbols, one on each of the inside of your wrists. All other homunculi have only one. Also the inside of the symbol is an eight-point star, rather than a six-point star. Truly mesmerizing. Unfortunately, it does not look like you have a special power. On the bright side, you will be able to grow, age, and gain weight. It also looks like you do not have red nodes. For other homunculi, they are like their circulation of the red stones. For you, the stones must go through your veins. It is helpful that you know how to do alchemy, but a pitfall that you do not know how to fight."

I soaked up every word she said, until the next few. But then my stomach dropped when she grabbed a scalpel and said this, "There I one more test. You will need to absolutely relax."

Of course, I did the opposite and freaked out, squirming as far away as I could from her. She halted my further advances away from her with a deadly look. The old woman, with much more strength than should be possible, took my arm and made an incision about two inches long and less than a centimeter deep. I watched in amazement as my skin started to glow around the corners of the cut and heal itself. When it was done, it looked like the scalpel never touched me.

"Very good. Now I ask you to go change. Meet me in the living room, which is the room next to the dining room. You have guests waiting to meet you," she handed me another stack of clothes from the counter and walked out. I stood up and walked back to my room. Once inside, I looked at the clothes she handed me. The pile consisted of tight black pants, knee high black boots, and a form fitting short-sleeved black shirt.

_**What is it with the old hag and all of these black and tight clothes?**_

'_Seriously, I feel like I'm going to a funeral. At least the clothes fit. The old woman must have used alchemy to adjust the material.' _

I found a mirror in the room and gave myself a once over. I noted that I looked like I was about to go into combat. Sighing, I headed down the stairs to the living room praying that I did not get lost. Since I had some time, I decided to think. _'Now that I have five seconds, I can mentally freak out. Seriously, what is going on?! I didn't even know homunculi existed before yesterday.'_

_**But now I am one. Living proof that monsters do exist. And Daddy Dearest is to blame.**_

'_I hate to blame him, but it really is true. If he just let me die, none of this would have happened.'_

I managed to make it to the living room without too much hassle. I immediately noticed the three newcomers in the room. The first was a handsome man with pale skin, purple eyes, and long, spikey dark hair leaning against a bookcase. My eyes traveled to the two sitting on an ivory couch in front of Dante. There was a beautiful, and well, chesty, woman with long dark hair and red eyes. The last new person was interesting to say the least. He was short and, for lack of a better word, fat. He was chewing on one of his abnormally large fingers. When he turned to me, I noticed that he had small, beady eyes. I decided that he scared me the most.

"Ah, here is our guest of honor," Dante introduced me. "Everyone, this is your new sister, Malice. Malice, this is Envy, Lust, and Gluttony."

I blushed slightly from all of the attention on me, while giving a small wave. '_Lust's and Gluttony's names seemed quite fitting. However, I wonder how Envy got his name.'_

"You're right, she does seem interesting," Lust's silky voice commented.

"The brat seems weak, you sure she'll be of use?" I was shocked at how harsh both his voice and words were.

"Can I eat her?" Gluttony's voice had a childlike quality, which was odd considering how large he was. However, his words made me inch away from him. _'Yeah, he definitely gives me the creeps.'_

Dante just chuckled, like he was telling some funny joke, and not asking to _eat_ me. "No, you may not Gluttony. She will soon be very useful to us, because she can perform alchemy. I will help continue her studies on it. However, she cannot fight, which she'll need your help with, Envy." In response, Envy nodded with a dark gleam in his eyes and a smile on his face.

"How about you two head outside while I inform Lust and Gluttony about your situation," Dante suggested, but we all knew that it was a command. Envy lifted himself from the bookshelf and walked past me without a single glance in my direction. I silently followed him until we were outside in a clearing behind the house.

"So, do you know anything about fighting, kid?" Envy asked me. I just shook my head in response. He just got that dark smile on his face, "Well, unfortunately for you, I much rather be a hands-on teacher."

Before I could question what he meant, I heard a crack as my head spun to the side and I went flying, landing roughly fifty feet away from where I originally stood. I could barely even think with the feeling that my head had split in half. It took me a second to get up, and as soon as I did, I was immediately punched to the ground again. This time, he stood over me, and just kept on punching me in the face. I tried to block his punches with my arms, but he still managed to hit me more than a couple of times. My blocks became weaker from the pain I was feeling.

_**Push the pain down. Get him off. Make him**_** pay.**

I felt a surge of energy and it felt like I no longer had control of my body. I squeezed my feet underneath him and kicked him off. I flipped up onto my feet and ran toward him. I slid to knock him down, but he jumped. I grabbed his ankle as I stopped sliding and threw him in a random direction. He landed on his feet and came rushing towards me. His fists came flying at me with an insane speed. I managed to dodge most of them with flexibility that I didn't know I had. I went to right hook him when I noticed the distance between us. My arm would never reach him.

Even though it seemed impossible, my arm still stretched twice its size to hit Envy square in the face. Not only was I stunned, but Envy was too, since he just sat on the ground after the punch.

"Woah, kid. What the hell was that?" Envy said with a mixture of curiosity and annoyance.

I finally felt like I regained control of my body. I jogged over to him to help him up out of habit. "I honestly have no idea. I couldn't even control my own body."

As I extended my hand, he took it and flipped me over his head. I just landed on the opposite side of where I was standing, flat on my back. Envy just laughed at my pain, and started walking away. After a few steps, he stopped and looked back at me, "Hey, kid, word of advice. Never help out your enemy. It'll always be used against you. Get up. We have to let Dante know about our new-found discovery."

I got up swiftly, amazed at how quickly my body recovered. I quickly caught up to Envy, who was leading the way back to the living room. Once we entered, Envy interrupted the other's conversation, "We found out the brat's ability. And she's not too bad at fighting either, even though it apparently wasn't her."

Dante initially seemed irritated with the disturbance, but was soon interested in the things Envy had said, "Hm. Very well." She turned to me, "Do you think you can replicated what you did with Envy?"

I nodded and closed my eyes, focusing on my right arm. I imagined it stretching outwards past its normal length to grab a book from the self on the wall opposite of the one I was near. When I felt my hand grab something, I opened my eyes to see that I was indeed holding onto a book, thirty feet away from me. Dante's face held a smug grin on it, "This simply proves that you'll be even more useful to me. Envy, "she said redirecting her attention, "you'll be in charge of her physical fitness. She must become as close to you in ability as possible when it comes to combat, she also must master this new power. You'll train in the mornings." She looked back towards me, "In the evenings, we will work on your alchemy."

I nodded. Once all of the business was settled, Dante looked back to Envy, "Lust will fill you with the information we've discussed later. Right now, take her into the kitchen so she can fix herself something to eat."

Envy let out a 'hmph,' but he still lead the way with myself in tow. He didn't speak when I started cooking a simple dinner of chicken noodle soup, leaving me time to think again.

The first question I came up with was, _'Should I trust them? Dante has helped me out so far and will continue to. Maybe I'll leave once she stops being so beneficial. But what do I do in the time being? There is something just… off about her. But I still find myself drawn to following her every single command. Maybe I'm still just weak. She knows just about everything now, so I can't cross her.' _

_**But there is one thing the old hag doesn't know. And she will **_**never **_**know. **_

'_I wondered why there was this feeling because what I saw didn't seem important. But nonetheless, I just knew that I couldn't tell her that I had seen the Gate.'_

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**So, what do you guys think? Not gonna lie, I'm an engineering major, so writing is not my forte. Please, I would like feedback on anything. ANYTHING. If anything is OOC or Mary Sue-ish, let me know! Anyway, I should have another chapter out sometime this week. **

**Quick thank you to Ed's. Curious .Kitten for reviewing!**


	3. Chapter 3: The Prophet

**Here's the next chapter! I thought I was going to get to Edward this time…but sadly no. Next chapter I promise he makes an appearance! Though I'm sure he doesn't meet Emmeline yet. Soon though! I promise! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I was not the brilliant mind that created The Fullmetal Alchemist. It's actually probably a good thing though.**

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I looked up from the alchemy book that I was reading to glance at the clock. _'6:18am again. This whole not sleeping thing sucks. Who knew sleeping passed so much time?' _Since I became a homunculus two months ago, I noticed that I didn't have to do normal human things often like sleep, and I even didn't have to eat or drink more than once a week once I became healthy looking again.

At first, this kind of stuff was cool, especially not sleeping. It's like finally having all of this time to do all of the stuff you can't get to in a normal day. For me, I was able to study alchemy more. However, studying alchemy was really strange. It was like reading something I already knew, but just forgot. After thinking about it for some time, I had a theory that it was somehow related to the Gate, even though I don't exactly remember what I saw. Whatever it was, it definitely helped speed up the learning process. Of course Dante was ecstatic with how fast I was learning at first. For some reason, I couldn't overly excel at it. I could do some difficult transmutations, but not the really hard ones like the one needed for opening the Gate or creating the Philosopher's Stone. It was evident that Dante was annoyed at that fact because she wanted me to create one for her. Nonetheless, I still was able to do alchemy, and now that I was a decent fighter, I was still of some use to her.

Speaking of fighting, to become a decent fighter was almost the most painful experience of my life. Envy was a surprisingly good teacher, and we got along in a weird way. But he was always brutal, and since he didn't have to worry about killing me, he never held back. Therefore, I never beat him. I got really close a couple of times, but no. Which was really damn frustrating. On the bright side, I've become much better than I was.

It was strange how much I've changed in such a short time. I used to be so quiet, naïve, silly, and laidback. Now, my old personality has slowly merged with the homunculus personality of mine, which was intelligent, calculating, manipulating, sadistic, and spiteful. Of course, Envy liked the second part more. But now, I'm mainly laidback and sarcastic, however, I have to use the calculating aspect more often than not because of Dante.

That woman seemed nice at first, but the old bag is anything friendly. After she taught me basic alchemy, she started using alchemy _on _me. The first many tries take the cake for being the most painful experiences of my life. It was basically like dying over and over again. But she always gave me red stones afterwards, so I let her do whatever she wanted. Thankfully, she was finally able to transmute a block of lead onto my right hand to make a sword. Now, I just keep a knife with a transmutation circle carved into it in the pocket of my pants, which, by the way, aren't skin tight anymore because I fixed them with alchemy. I honestly can't explain how happy I am that my pants are looser now. Anyway, being able to transmute the knife to my hand has definitely been helpful in fights.

Oh yeah! It's fighting time! Thank God the practice sessions have gone from three hours to just three matches. Though, the three fights sometimes take longer than the three hours, but those days are typically really fun.

Stretching in my bed, I got up, slipped my feet into my boots, and grabbed my knife. I slowly walked down to the backyard which served as an arena for the sparring matches. I quickly was able to sense that Envy wasn't down here yet, so I sat on the grass next to some flowers. I smiled fondly as I saw a rabbit hopping around and eating flowers. _'I guess there is still some human in me.' _

I heard footsteps and looked up to Envy coming towards me. I slowly got up and sunk into a fighting stance. Without warning, Envy dashed to me as he transmuted his right arm into a spike. _'Guess someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.'_ I quickly put as much distance between us as possible. I took my knife out and transmuted it to my right hand.

I swung my left hand, watching it stretch to hit Envy. He effortlessly dodged it, but didn't see my bladed hand next to him. He ducked, but the knife still made a pretty deep gash on his left arm.  
"Good move, kid," Envy complimented as he rushed to me again.

I let him get close this time, moving between his hand and spike with graceful flexibility. He still was able to able to cover my left side in cuts. Quickly, I back flipped using Envy's stomach as a springboard. He slid back, while I landed on my feet. We both took a second long break, and then ran to each other, both of us ready to attack. Fists went flying, each of us dodging and giving attacks. I was adsorbed in watching Envy's hands, that I didn't see his foot coming towards my stomach. I doubled over and left just enough time for him to shove his spiked arm through my stomach. _'Yup… He's in a bad mood today.'_

Envy just watched me on the ground healing myself. He smiled when I got up, "Word of advice, always be prepared for the unexpected."

I jumped at the sound of clapping, and we both turned to see Dante, "Not bad. That's enough for today though. Follow me."

I gave Envy a questioning look, but he just ignored me and followed Dante. She led us to her study where Lust and Gluttony were already waiting. She sat down behind her desk, "I have an objective for the four of you. You need to go to Lior. It's a poor, desert town which will be easy to control. There is a man named Cornello who simply wants to become more powerful, and people who want something so badly are easily manipulated. Give him this red stone, and tell him it's the Philosopher's Stone. Help him become the highest power there. Give the people hope, and then strip it away to create chaos. If you need to, kill him and anyone else that gets in the way, unless it's the Elric Brother's. They have been chasing the stone, and may be useful in the future. Leave within the hour."

Suddenly, Envy yelled, "We don't need the sons of that bastard to create the stone! Malice can do alchemy! She can create it for us! We can capture any other alchemist! But all I want to do is _kill_ those damn brothers!"

I was the only one shocked by his Envy's outburst. Dante looked extremely annoyed, "Unfortunately, Malice is too incompetent to perform such alchemy. And those boys will be even easier to use since they are Hohenheim's sons."

This just made Envy, and me, angrier. He stomped out of the room with me following him. I headed to my room while fuming. _'I'm still learning alchemy. These brothers must be old and have years of experience. It's not my fault that I've hit a road block.' _I shook off my anger as I pulled my sheets off of my bed and transmuted them into a makeshift messenger bag. I filled it with the few clothes I had and the two alchemy books I was currently reading. I went downstairs to see the other homunculi waiting for me at the front door like I expected. They were lucky. Since they do not sweat, they don't really get dirty or even smelly, so they never have to change clothes. Envy gave me annoyed glare for making him wait. But Lust just opened the door to lead the way.

Of course the walk to Dublith was quiet, and the train ride to Posterim, make that many train rides, was even quieter. It almost took a week to reach that place alone. I'm really glad that we still look like humans, or else we would have to walk all the way to Lior. Then again, there was still the problem of getting to Lior. No trains can go there because of the sand, and none of us wanted to walk there.

"How about we just steal a car?" I asked as we walked away from the train station. Wait, can any of us even drive?

Envy's trademark grin settled on his face, "Way ahead of you, kid."

Soon, a car was coming down the alley we were walking down. Envy stepped in front of the car, and of course, the driver stopped. I could feel how pissed the driver was, and as he rolled down his window to yell at Envy, Lust extended her nails and killed him. Envy laughed as he opened the driver's door and pulled out the dead man, which Gluttony consumed happily. _'Human or not, death still is gross, and watching Gluttony do that is grosser.'_ Still, I shrugged and hopped in the backseat with Lust. I think she knew how much Gluttony freaked me out even though I never said anything. Personally, I liked her the most. She did have the exterior and aura of a cold-hearted bitch, but she was really easy to talk to and get along with.

As soon as the car ride started, the silence soon followed. I tried staring out of the window, but sand gets really boring to look at quickly. Sleeping was also out of the question because Envy isn't the best driver. Guess I could try talking, "So… how do we go about finding this Cornello guy?"

Lust smiled and answered without turning to me, "We homunculi are quite good at stalking people, and even better at getting into places. During this trip, you'll learn how to do both. Dante wants to start to use you, so you need to know how to do this on your own."

I was surprised. _'Dante really is starting to trust me? Enough so to let me go by myself soon. Interesting.'_

_**This also means I get to kill.**_

'_Yeah… I guess it does. Once you aren't human anymore, even half so, you really realize how weak and pathetic they are.'_

_**Look at Dad. He was so weak. Just like so many others. They can't live by themselves and let grief control their actions. They think they are unstoppable or immortal once given the slightest bit of power like alchemy. It'll be fun to take advantage of it.**_

Suddenly, I was getting really excited about this mission. Hell, it was nice just being outside of that house and doing something other than fighting and practicing alchemy every day. But, reading about alchemy was a good way to pass time, so that's what I did.

Within two hours, we came across the small desert town. Once inside the city, Envy drove into an abandoned street and turned off the car.

"Come with me," Lust said as she exited the vehicle

I nodded, opening the door and shouldering my bag. We walked until we got to an open bar. Before we sat down at one of the stools, Lust leaned down and whispered, "This is how we collect information. Just follow my lead."

Once we sat down, a tan, middle-aged man with a really large mustache came up to us and asked for our order. I ordered a sandwich and a glass of water while Lust ordered coffee. _'How can she drink that? It's so hot out.'_

When he came back, he did what every person from a small town does when they see people they don't know, "So, what brings you here? I've never seen you two around here before."

Lust took over, "This is my niece, and we are here to see an old friend of mine. But, we are here to surprise him. His name is Cornello. Do you know where we may find him?"

'_Wonderful lie, and so smoothly done. But I realize why it's only Lust and I. Envy and Gluttony are king of intimidating, while it looks like we pose no threat.'_

The man scratched the back of his head in thought, "Cornello? Yeah he lives close by here. Just go down this main road and then make a left on the third street. There is an apartment building there. I'm pretty sure that's where he lives."

Lust smiled as she put money down, "Thank you. That's really helpful."

She gracefully stood up and started walking in the direction the man told us to go. I hopped up after her and let her lead the way. I noticed how run down the town looked. It must have been really poor. When we turned down the road, Lust stopped and pulled me to the side, making sure no one was around. She put out her hand which had two stones, one was by itself, and the other was on a ring. "I came up with a plan. When we meet him, let me do the talking. He is going to want proof that this is a real stone, so you are going to need to do something that you can't simply do with alchemy. The other one is for you. To convince the townspeople that he's a real miracle, he will need to perform miracles. The best is to create some form of large statue. He might be able to do that on his own, but you need to back him up in case. Then you'll definitely need the stone to take the rundown buildings to create a palace of some sort if the townspeople believe Cornello, which they will. It'll solidify his power."

I nodded as I took the ring and stone and placed them into my bag. I thought about what to do to convince Cornello that the stone was real as we continued walking. I saw a dead pigeon on the side of the road by a trashcan, which would be perfect. "Lust, do you think that if I take that dead pigeon and bring it back to life it'll convince Cornello?"

Lust stopped, a little shocked, "You can do that with the stone?"

I smiled, "Yup. It is the stone. Equivalent exchange is completely thrown out the window."

Lust nodded. With the acceptance, I went over to the trashcan and got a bag from it and placed the pigeon inside of it. We walked down the street a little more before we came to an apartment building. We walked in, and Lust asked the receptionist what room Cornello lived in. All Lust had to do was flash the boy some cleavage and he caved. He gave us the room number, and I chuckled at how easy this was. I followed Lust up the stairs to the third floor. She walked down the hall to the last door on the right. Using her nails, she picked the door open and walked in like she owned the place.

Walking through all of the rooms, we noticed that Cornello wasn't home yet. I followed Lust to the kitchen, and we sat down at the table to wait for him to get back.

"How are we going to get him to cooperate with us? What if he just takes the stone and does what he wants?" I was still confused at how their plans could work.

She just smiled as she crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair, "Humans are easily convinced to do whatever we ask them to. Most of them are too concerned with what they want that they don't care what the terms are. And if they go against us, we kill them and Envy takes over."

I laughed, "That's true. We were made because of the those thoughts."

Lust's expression turned serious after that, "So, I've never asked you, what's it like still being half human?"

I was completely blindsided by the question. "I guess it's alright. Sometimes I get bipolar because it's like a certain side of me wants to come out more, but they merged together for the most part. But…" I trailed off not knowing how to word my thoughts. "It's almost like, if I'm not going to be a complete human, I should be a complete Homunculus. Why do I have to age, breathe, eat, drink, and sleep, but can survive being stabbed in the stomach? Though, if I ever get tired of this life, I can remove the stone. Then again… I have no idea what would happen to me. Would I live and be fine? Would I be sick again? Or would I just die?"

Lust listened intently but got a sad look in her eyes, "You should feel lucky."

"Why?" I spit out, shocked why I should be happy to be a mutt.

"Because you still have the chance to be human. In this form, I have no soul, while you still do. Like this, we can't love or be loved. We can only hate and be hated."

I became quiet at that observation. I never gave much thought to the fact that I had a soul. But even though souls want to love, I'll never be loved while I'm like this. _'No one will love me… like the way my dad loved me.' _Tears welled up in my eyes, "See what I mean though? Homunculi don't cry, but I can still get emotional."

"It just proves that you have a soul," Lust said jealously.

A silence fell upon us for a few minutes until I asked, "Lust, if you could be human again, would you?"

"Of course," she answered immediately.

A silence fell again until I softly said, "Lust… you should know that I don't hate you. I really like you."

Lust looked at me for a second and smiled, "Thank you."

The next silence was a comfortable one, but it was broken by the sound of keys unlocking the front door. We waited until he turned on the light to his kitchen. He jumped and fell once he saw us and yelled, "Who are you?! How did you get in here?!"

Lust looked annoyed, "Hey, keep it down. We are just here to help you."

Cornello was a thick, forty-something year old man with a really bald head. When he stood up you could tell how tall he was. He gave her a skeptical look, "What are you talking about?"

"Our boss has taken an interest in you. She thinks you're a great person to turn this poor desert town into a paradise."

"Why me? What's in it for her?" Cornello was still hesitant, but was listening more.

"Money. That's all. But you'll have to also house us until we are sure you don't go against us."

Cornello grinned, "So, how do I become in power?"

Lust nodded to me, I dug into my bag for the ring. Once I found it, I also took out the dead pigeon. Moving to the window, I opened it and held the pigeon outside. I snapped my fingers, and the bird came to life and flew away.

Cornello was completely baffled, "Is that the Philosopher's Stone?"

Lust smiled, "Yes, I'm glad you know about it. But this is yours, if you cooperate. Tomorrow, you'll go into center of the town square. Make up something for why you should be in charge. Religion tends to work the best. Once you make the statement, perform some 'miracles.' Then when you have enough people believing you, create a statue in whatever name you want. If they completely believe you, then we'll construct the building for you. A non-alchemist like you will never be able to pull off something that grand. However, you will need to look like you are the one doing it."

"What if it goes wrong?" Cornello looked nervous.

I spoke up this time, "It won't. I'm the alchemist that will be helping you. Just announce what you are doing before you do it. Still, you should practice with the stone tonight."

Cornello finally looked convinced as he took the ring from my outstretched hand and slipped in on, "Deal."

Lust looked pleased, "Good. Be at the square at noon. We'll set up everything beforehand. Make sure you have a solid speech ready."

With that, I went to the window and jumped out landing gracefully on the ground, and Lust landed next to me. It was well into the night, so we didn't have to worry about people seeing us. We walked back to where we left the car, which Envy and Gluttony were still inside of.

Envy jumped out of the car, "Took you two long enough. Did he fall for the fake?"

I smiled, "Yup, he will perform his 'miracles' tomorrow at noon."

"Great," Envy smiled as he got back into the car.

I was slightly puzzled. I turned to Lust and asked, "Are we staying here tonight?"

She nodded. I guessed it made sense because there was less than twelve hours until show time. I got in the backseat and pulled out my alchemy book and turned to its chapter on architecture since I would need it for tomorrow. It took me all night to sketch a grand palace using pictures from the book. Before I knew it, it was time to go to. We all headed out to the square. In the shadows, I started drawing the two transmutation circles needed to pull this off. The first one was just in case Cornello messed up the statue, and the second was for building the palace. The statue I would be able to do on my own, the palace, on the other hand, would require both the stone and a transmutation circle.

On time, Cornello went to the middle of the square. He smiled and yelled out, "My people of Lior! I know we have been facing some tough times. However, that is all about to change! Last night, Leto the Sun God came to me in a dream. He told me to have the people of Lior follow Him, and in return, He will turn this place into a paradise like no other! To prove His power, He has blessed me with the power to create miracles!"

He already had around fifty people crowded around him. He started by fixing a few broken radios, fixed the large fountain in the square and turned its water into wine, and even copied my pigeon trick from last night. He wasn't doing a bad job, and after he was done with the three tricks, he had almost the whole town watching him in awe.

"Now, it is time, my children, for my last miracle. Behold the will of God!" He raised his hand in the air. The walls from a crumbling building nearby joined together to make a fifty-foot tall statue of a God in a toga and pointed crown with a really long bread and mustache and a staff in his hand.

Everyone was in complete awe, and completely captured, "Are you ready to follow Leto the Sun God?"

Everyone cheered and said yes. That was my cue. I pulled out my own red stone, and in time with Cornello's hand, I pressed my hands to the ground. With the thought of my sketch I made in mind, I pulled materials from the abandoned buildings to make the palace. It took over five minutes to finish, and the construction completely drained my and the stone's energy. Everyone, including the three Homunculi with me, were astonished. Envy even praised me, "Great work, kid."

I could only nod. I managed to choke out, "I'm so hungry, and tired."

After I said that, I passed out and the last thing I heard was cheers from the townspeople, whom were the new followers of Cornello.

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**That's all for this time folks! Hope you enjoyed it! I should have the next chapter out sometime this week since my summer class is done. Which, by the way, I'm never doing ever again. Anyway, I would like to thank everyone that followed my story. Please stay tuned, because Ed's showing up soon, and who doesn't love that boy?**


	4. Chapter 4: The Elrics

**Sorry I didn't update earlier in the week, but I must admit that I don't really care for this chapter. It's basically Emma stalking the Elric Brothers. So, I decided to update twice in one day! Anyway, please don't hate me for this chapter. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist in any way, shape, or form.**

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I was strolling through Lior like I did on most days. It still amazed me how Cornello was able to fix all of these buildings in one night using the Philosopher's Stone. It also amazed me how easily everyone followed Cornello. In not even a month, he was able to write a Scripture and have the townspeople eating out of his hands. I guess if you give people wealth, happiness, and hope they will do and believe anything. Cornello was one hell of an actor too, so that does help. I was just glad that everything went so smoothly.

I jumped when I heard the sound of Cornello's voice floating in the air. _'Oh shit, I'm late to meet Lust.'_ I ran in the direction of the bar we went to when we first came here. My run slowed down when I saw a crowd around the bar. I was even more confused when I noticed that there was a man in a giant suit of armor in the center of the people. As I got closer, I saw another new comer. He was rather short, but still a bit taller than me. He had golden blonde hair, and even golden eyes. However, it was odd that he was wearing all black and even a red cloak in a desert, not that I could talk. _'Wow, he's attractive. Wait, what?! No! Ugh, stupid teenage hormones...' _I stopped myself from hitting myself in the face when I spotted Lust. I went to go sit down next to her until she said, "That's Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist. He's been a celebrity around East City. They say he's a real child prodigy."

I stopped in my tracks. _'That's the Elric Brothers? The two that Dante wants to replace me with? How could they be so advanced in alchemy? They're my age!'_ I moved into the shadow of a building where I could still hear and see what was happening. I saw how the crowd moved around the man in the suit who I and the men guessed was Edward. But the suit of armor denied that it was him and pointed to the blonde. The men stared in disbelief and one of them called him short.

Apparently someone is sensitive about their height because he grabbed two of the men and was swinging them around by the collar of their shirts. The look on his face was priceless while he yelled, "Shorty?! Could a shorty do this?! What else do you wanna call me? A half pint, bean-sprout midget?! I'm still growing you back water desert idiots!"

"I see there's plenty of excitement around here today," a new voice sounded.

'_Not this girl again.'_ Of course everyone stopped what they were doing to look at her. She smiled at the two boys, "Don't mind me, I'd hate to spoil all of the fun."

The boys naturally said it was okay and introduced themselves the pretty, young girl. Surprisingly, Edward didn't attack her when she made a reference to his short stature. After Rose and the man behind the bar talked about her offering for the day, he suggested that she take them to go see Cornello. Edward agreed while Alphonse seemed hesitant. It seemed like the older brother called the shots because they followed her to the Temple.

I didn't bother going up to Lust because I knew the work was done already. I removed myself from the shadows and walked in the opposite direction of Rose and the brothers. Lust had me be the public eye because I didn't look threatening at all. While making sure the people were eating up what Cornello said, I was friendly with most of the townspeople. In that time, I met Rose. I _really_ hated Rose. We looked really similar besides the fact that I was shorter, had black eyes, and curly, black hair while she had purple eyes with brown and pink straight hair. Everyone told us that we could pass for sisters, even though they would always hint that she would be the prettier one. But that wasn't what bothered me. It was the fact that they could compare me to someone like that. She was so weak. Out of all of the people in Lior, she believed Cornello the most and was his most prized disciple.

The only reason why she hangs off of Cornello's every word is because she thinks that he can bring back her dead boyfriend. That fact alone infuriated me the most. _'She has no idea what it would mean to have him be brought back to life. He'd be a monster like me. However, what she thinks is him is actually a monster, which was created by me. I can take Cornello's ring and a bunch of birds to make them combine into one and mimic her boyfriend's voice, which is what I've done quite a few times for others.' _

_**I really wish I could kill her. Then she'd be with her precious boyfriend.**_

But that's why I hate her, being around her, and being compared to her. Originally, I was happy just exploring the palace I had made, but I always ended up running into her. Therefore, I took my wandering to the streets of Lior in my free time.

I kept turning down random roads. '_What about this Fullmetal guy? He has an official name like my dad did, so that means he's a State Alchemist. But how? He's so young, and other than his brother's odd attire, he seems completely normal. Also, if he's such a genius, will he be able to figure out that Cornello is using alchemy? I should go back and talk to Lust.'_

I turned on my heel and walked back to the Temple. Good thing that I've been down each road countless times, so I didn't get lost, which has happened before.

Once I reached the Temple, I crept into a window, making sure no one saw me as I made my way to Lust's and Gluttony's room. Like I expected, the two were there. Lust looked up from whatever she was reading, "I was wondering when you would show up. I bet you have many questions."

How Lust already knows everything gets really annoying. I shot her an irritated glare, "How did you now that the Elric Brothers would be here around noon? What do we do about them? They're bound to notice that Cornello is using alchemy. Do we need to keep them quiet? Or do we need to kill them?"

She chuckled, "Envy has been keeping an eye on the brothers. Right now, we do nothing. Edward Elric will notice, and when he does, we'll have Envy step in so we can have a much easier time controlling this. As for Cornello, we just let him believe he is pulling the strings."

I nodded as I walked out of their room and made my way back to my room, which was just down the hall. Thankfully, I was really tired, so I didn't have to think about these plans. _'I have no idea how I'll be able to do this on my own.' _I slipped my shoes off and cuddled into bed and was out before my head hit the pillow.

The next day, I watched Cornello's 'miracle gathering' from atop of a nearby roof. I was only there to observe the Elric Brothers. Even from where I was sitting, I could see Edward's scowl and skeptical look. Rose came up to them with a smug expression on her face, which was wiped away with a comment from Edward. Once Cornello did the infamous 'bring the bird back to life' trick, Rose's smug look returned. While Edward could say nothing, I knew that he knew something was up.

Once the gathering was done, I did my normal wandering and alchemy reading. When the sun started to set, I decided to head back. I was sneaking back to my room when I spotted Alphonse also creeping in the shadows. My curiosity flared up as I followed him to the private chapel in the basement. Unlike Alphonse, who hid by the door, I hid in the rafters, and was able to get there via a trap door. I sat on a wooden beam and watched Rose polish the altar. She obviously didn't know that Edward was sitting in a pew behind her.

Finally, Edward spoke up, "So, if you pray and polish the altar enough times, someone who is dead will be brought back to life?"

Rose turned around and had a fake smile and happy tone, "Something like that."

Edward sighed and pulled out a little black book, "Water: 35 Liters. Carbon: 20 Kg. Ammonia: 4 Liters. Lime: 1.5 Kg. Phosphorus: 800 g. Salt: 250 g. Saltpeter: 100 g. Sulfur: 80 g. Fluorine: 7.5 g. Iron: 5 g. Silicon: 3 g. And trace amounts of 15 other elements."

"What's that?" Rose asked.

"It's the ingredients of the average adult human body right down to the specks of protein in your eyelashes. And even though science has given us the entire physical breakdown, there's never been a successful attempt at bringing a human to life. There's still something missing, something scientists haven't been able to find in centuries of research. So what makes you think that hack job priest with his parlor room tricks is going to be able too. And, in case you're wondering, all of those ingredients can be bought on a child's allowance. Humans can be made on the cheap. There's no magic to it."

Rose was furious, "Well, if there's no magic, you bring someone back to life!"

"It's just a matter of time, Rose. Science will find a way. Science is the answer to everything. If I were you, I'd drop the scriptures and pick up an alchemy book. We're the closest things to God's there are."

"You're not a god. You're nothing close to it."

They continued to banter back and forth about who was correct, but were interrupted by a loud crash and Alphonse's helmet rolling towards them. The younger brother's body tumbled through the door he was hiding behind as one of Cornello's lackeys, Cray, came in with a gun pointed at Edward. Cray claimed that the two boys were enemies of God and it was the will of God that the brothers be disposed of.

"I don't think so, Mister," the headless suit of armor said, which shocked all of us, except for Edward of course.

Edward used the distraction to use Alphonse's helmet as a weapon and threw it at Cray's head, knocking him unconscious, "Strike!"

Alphonse caught his head as Rose screamed, "He doesn't have a head!"

The two brothers laughed uneasily and tried to play it off like it was nothing. Alphonse turned the mood serious, "It's true. I don't have a body. But I'm here. This is my punishment for stepping onto holy ground where mortals are forbidden. We may have made a mistake, Rose, and we're paying for it."

Rose screamed again and ran out, followed by the two alchemists. I didn't bother following them and instead went back to my room. I laid on my bed and thought about what the two brothers said. _'What holy ground was Alphonse talking about? Alchemists don't believe in religion. Unless it's an analogy so Rose would understand. They also know that humans have never been brought back to life using alchemy, which is common knowledge. But it sounded so personal.'_

_**Like they've tried it themselves.**_

At that thought, I sat up in my bed. _'That makes sense. The gate requires payment, and Alphonse paid with his body. But what did Edward have to pay?' _I made it my goal to figure it out later as I pulled out my alchemy book and started reading it again until morning.

As I was walking around the next day, I heard a lot of people mention that the Elric Brothers were traitors, and how they attempted to kill Father Cornello last night. Apparently, I should have followed them when they chased after Rose. I decided to go talk to Lust and Gluttony when something sounded through the air.

"What? Is it the money you're after?" that was Edward's voice.

"Oh, no. I can get all the money I want from the offerings. But you think too small. I'm making believers who would gladly throw away their lives in my name. And why not? They believe I can resurrect them. They aren't afraid to die. There is no greater army than those with a holy call. Mark my words, in a few years, I'll have a following large enough to tear this country apart and rebuild it in my name!" Cornello laughed.

"Makes no difference to me," Edward said.

"What?!"

"After all, there's no real way to bring people back to life, right? Once you cut me down, I'm gone for good."

'_Oh, I get it. By the language Edward's using, he knows what's going on and is exposing Cornello for the fake he really is. He's smarter than I thought.'_

"I'm afraid that's right. Even with the Philosopher's Stone, I wouldn't dare try Human Alchemy. I'd end up like you! And why would a king risk his life for the sake of his mindless pawns? Hey… wait a second." You could hear his gasp. I assumed he realized what was going on when he yelled, "What?! How long has that thing been on?!"

I could hear the smile in Edward's voice, "Long enough for the 'mindless pawns tearing this country apart' comment I think."

"How did you get my broadcasting equipment?!"

"Al rigged it up! I know, you smashed him into pieces, but that was just some metal I whipped up to look like him! Pretty cleaver, huh?"

"No, my children! He lies! Don't believe him!" After that a series of gun shots could be heard.

I looked around and saw all of the stunned faces. I had to stop myself from laughing at them. Instead, I followed the angry mob to the front of the Temple where I could see Cornello running out of the doors looking incredibly disheveled. He saw the mass of people and quickly put on a calm face, "My children, the nonbeliever has used his science to impersonate me. It is a conspiracy of the devil. But look as the Great Leto redeems me with this vengeful light. Behold God's power!"

His ring glowed brighter than normal as he controlled the multiple statues of Leto to move. The people started to believe and trust Cornello again. Soon, Edward appeared behind him. Since he was shirtless and his pants were torn in some places, I was able to see that his right arm and left leg were automail. _'So that's what he lost.'_ Edward was not impressed, "I'm warning you, give it up."

Cornello held up Edward's pocket watch, "You didn't fool me with that little display down there. Without this, the only alchemy you can perform is to your own metal arm."

That comment only made the blonde angrier, "You know what, you're not the only one who can't stand doubters, preach."

He clapped his hands and pressed them to the ground. Blue sparks surrounded his hands and traveled back into the Temple. The ground shook as the main, and largest, statue of Leto stood up and broke through the roof. The sound of the crashing muffled what the two said, but Cornello looked amazed. I was amazed myself. _'Transmutation without a circle. And so strong. How is that possible?'_

Cornello screamed as Leto's first reeled back and soared towards him, just missing him. He fell to his knees in fright. As Edward walked to him, Cornello yelled and tried to run away, "No! I won't let you have it! You can't take the stone!"

The stone pulsed and Cornello fell to his knees screaming. His arm was reacting with the recoiling stone in a gruesome sight. Gears, pieces of metal, and wires emerged from and reentered his skin. I could see his arm pulsating. Edward looked shocked and ran to Cornello. By the look on his face, I guessed he noticed the stone was a fake.

"Stop jerking me around!" Edward shouted to the sky.

After that, the people dispersed with looks of horror and disbelief etched onto their faces. I noticed that Lust and Gluttony were on top of a building overlooking the front of the Temple. I removed myself from the main crowd and made my way up a building to them.

"So what now?" I asked when I came face to face with the two.

"We kill him. Envy will take over claiming Cornello was an impersonator. Some will believe him, some won't. With some pokes and pulls from Envy, the people should start fighting. The filtration of the military will help break the people apart," Lust explained.

"Wait, military? How do we control them?" I couldn't believe that we could do that.

Lust smiled, "The Fuhrer and his secretary are Homunculi called Pride and Sloth. Actually, Sloth is the Elric Brother's mother in a sense. They created her."

'_I was right about them trying Human Transmutation.' _I nodded in understanding, "So… Basically we are unstoppable."

"Yes. Anyway, Dante wants you back. Leave immediately."

I nodded and headed back to my room, packed, and started traveling back to Dante's home. During the whole trip, I had only one thought on my mind. _'If Edward tried Human Transmutation, he must have seen the Gate and what lies within it. He can also do transmutation without a circle. Does that mean I can to?'_

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**And we are done! Even though this was basically the first two episodes, it was hard to watch the anime, pause it after two seconds, write down what they said, and then repeat. I figured if I had to copy most of the words, I was going to do it right and get it perfect. Anyway, I plan on getting away from the main plot a little bit here and there, while the major events still occur. But we'll see how that goes. By the way, a big thank you to kayleebaby13 for reviewing! **

**By the way, I've noticed that I have some spelling and grammar mistakes, and I'd like to apologize. It's just that I **_**hate**_** editing, but I'll stop being so lazy. I write all of the chapters by hand, and then type them, and then only quickly edit them. But, I promise I'll try harder! **

**I've also noticed while writing that I have made some mistakes regarding the facts from the original '03 anime. If you spot any major flaws, feel free to bring it to my attention. I've watched this anime multiple times and the '09 anime once, and they get a little confused and mushed in my head. But, I'll be more than happy to go back and fix whatever is wrong. Anyway, thanks for reading! **


	5. Chapter 5: The Deception

**Second chapter of the day! I think I actually like this one a bit more than the last chapter. I just would like to note that Emma's mood swings do get a little bit confusing. Sometimes she is acting, while other times it is her soul's personality reaching through. On the other hand, her pure homunculus personality can come out which is the dark, italicized print. Most of the times, she is basically just laidback and sarcastic. Just thought that I would remind you guys, or just clear that up because I even started to get confused writing this chapter because of the mood swings. Basically just think of a pregnant woman in her last trimester, and that is kinda what we have here. So now that that's all done, on with the show!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist and that fact makes me rather sad.**

* * *

'_Finally! Almost there!' _I was walking through Dublith and about to take the path through the woods to Dante's. Somewhere along my trip back, I figured that I would test my 'no circle needed' theory in the woods. That way, no one would see and no one would know if it worked or not, especially Dante. If it did work, and she found out, who knows what she would do to me.

Once I finally made my way a decent amount into the woods, I stopped and picked up a stick. I checked to make sure no one was around. _'Well, here goes nothing.'_ I closed my eyes and pictured both the transmutation circle I needed and the wooden crown I wanted to make. I took a deep breath, clapped my hands together, and help onto the twig. I felt a jolt of electricity flow through me, and with that jolt came the memories of the Gate. Everything there was to know about this world was there. _'It stopped too soon. It closed before I could see the rest of it. The reason why I can't get to Edward's level is because I didn't see all of it.' _

I punched the ground in frustration, leaving a medium size dent in the earth. _'No matter how hard I try, I'll never be on his equal.' _I kept on punching the ground until my anger melted away. _'At least I'm closer though.' _I sighed as I picked up the crown I made. It was in a perfect circle with purple flowers surrounding the outside. I tossed it off the path and started walking to Dante's again.

When I made it back, I went directly to Dante's study to tell her I had returned. I was about to knock on her door when I heard her voice, which was odd because I couldn't sense anyone else. Even though I shouldn't have, I help my breath and listened to what she said.

"Things are working out perfectly. Soon, the people of Lior will die in a new war and join the people of Ishval in helping create the stone. When that's done, I'll be able to take over little Emmeline's body. She's so perfect. Her body can still hold a soul, but it will be able to heal me of any decay. I knew this was a good idea when her silly father came to me clutching her body. I knew she was alive and told him about Human Transmutation. I've always wondered if it would work if preformed on a live human, and the product was better than I could have imagined! However, she is still too young. Maybe I'll take over that girl Lyra's body for a while and wait till Emmeline matures. Lyra still suspects nothing out of the ordinary since I sent her away for 'research' when Emmeline came here. Everything is planning out perfectly, and soon I will have the perfect body," Dante ended her speech with a sense of determination.

I pushed out all thoughts and focused on being as quiet as possible until I made it to my room. I fell onto my bed and laid down in shock. _'That… bitch! She's the reason why I'm like this. I knew she was evil, but this is just… despicable. How dare she do this to me. She did it because she wants to use _my_ body. She was going to have me create a Philosopher's Stone for that reason. How ironic. I was going to help create my own demise. But I'll stop her. I want to see her die by my hands. But I can't do it alone, and the other Homunculi will never help me. Until I can figure out who can help me, I will play Dante like we played Cornello. I'll make her believe she's in charge until the end. Then I'll kill her. That way, she will not be able to do this again to anyone else.' _

I smiled at my plan as I stood up. I dropped my bag on my bed, and I headed down to Dante's study and knocked on the door. I opened the door when she told me to come in. I took a deep breath and entered the room, standing in front of the desk she was sitting behind.

Her creepy smile was on, "How was Lior?"

I smiled, "Interesting. These Elric Brothers are quite fascinating, and not to mention, manipulating humans is fun."

She seemed satisfied by my answer, "I'm glad that you find them interesting because you'll be gaining their trust and pushing them towards the Philosopher's Stone. Be sure to make a plausible story as to why you need to be with them. I'll even help you find them. Right now there are two brothers in Xenotime posing as the Elric Brothers. They are also turning toxic red water into red stones. I'm sure that the real brothers will eventually head there."

I nodded and grabbed the stack of cenz that she placed on top of the desk. I walked to my room, grabbed new alchemy books, and headed back to Dublith with a smile on my face. _'I couldn't have planned this better! Just like she was going to have me create my own death, she just created hers. There's no story that I need to make up. I'll tell them the partial truth. I'll play both Dante and the Elric Brothers. I just have to find the best time to approach them. But Dante should know better than to piss me off, especially since she was the one who named me Malice.'_

The ride to Xenotime thankfully only took two days. Once I got off of the train, I stretched and looked at the setting sun. _'Guess I should just go to a hotel and start tomorrow.'_

I made my way through the town and found a family run hotel and restaurant. I purchased my room for five days, and hoped that was enough. I grabbed my keys and headed to the room. I was about to plop myself on the bed until I realized how smelly I was. I was in desperate need of a shower. I grabbed my clothes and a towel from the room and went to the bathroom at the end of the hall.

I don't know why, but there is just something about a hot shower that makes you feel great. I didn't even waste this fantastic feeling on thought. Sadly, all good things must come to an end. I got out and put a sleeveless shirt on and shorts, in the color black of course. I was about to put my hair up, but decided to leave it down. _'With my hair up, I look like I'm ready to fight. With it down, I look more like my age. More innocent and harmless, which will help the brothers not see me as a threat. I just have to act like my old self - silly and trustworthy.' _I parted it to the side, letting my bangs sweep into the right side of my face while the rest fell in ringlets down to my waist. I looked in the mirror and saw that I had achieved the look I was going for. My big doe eyes and doll like hair made me look so innocent that it almost made me sick. There was still the issue of my wrists. _'I'm going to have to get something to cover up these tattoos.'_ I went back to the room I was staying in and passed out on the bed.

The next morning I woke up to the smell of breakfast. _'Ohhhh that smells good. I haven't had a homemade breakfast in who knows how long.' _Even though I wasn't hungry, I still got dressed and went downstairs to the kitchen. I saw other people eating at the multiple tables spread across the room having quiet conversations leaving the room with a nice feeling. I sat away from the rest of the people at a table by the window. Since I didn't have anyone to talk to, I pulled out one of my alchemy books. A middle-aged woman with a kind smile came up to me and took my order. In no time, she delivered my food. I thanked her, and looked back at my book. However, she stayed and asked, "Are you an alchemist?"

I looked back up to her and tried to sound friendly and not suspicious, "Yes, why do you ask?"

"You should go see the Elric Brothers! They've been here for about a month assisting Mr. Mugear with creating the Philosopher's Stone. You should go and see if you could help. It would really help this town," she looked hopeful.

I was confused before I remembered what Dante told me. I smiled, "That definitely sounds interesting. I will have to go visit."

She beamed back at me and walked away, leaving me to my meal, which was absolutely delicious. I was surprised that these two brothers have been impersonating the Elric Brothers for so long. Guess news doesn't travel from here much. _'I should go check it out. But first, I need to go shopping.'_

After I finished my food, I paid and left. I walked down the road and soaked in the feeling of the sun with the cool breeze. Even though it was a beautiful day, I noticed a lot of people coughing, like an abnormal amount. There were tons of younger kids who were coughing and hanging onto their mothers, instead of running around and playing. _'That's odd.' _I shrugged it off and walked into the first female clothing store I found. Most of the clothes were extremely feminine with bright colors and floral prints. Luckily, I was able to find a section that was toned down. In the end, I was able to find a couple of non-black, formfitting, swoop-neck, long sleeved shirts and a black leather jacket. I know that lower cut shirts aren't the best for fighting, but I thought it'd help to use my 'assets' like Lust if need be. I smiled with my findings, and headed back to the hotel.

Once I made it to my room, I changed into a purple shirt. _'It is so nice not wearing all black, especially since purple is my favorite color. Thankfully these also cover my tattoos. Now that the clothes thing is taken care of, it is time to go see these 'Elric Brothers.'' _

I walked outside and asked a couple of people for directions to Mugear's mansion, which people were more than happy to do. It was pretty easy to find considering it was a large mansion on the side of a mountain. As I got closer to the mansion, I was able to notice a wall around it. Normally, when there is a gate, there are guards. Taking extra precaution, I went around to the backside of the house, and climbed the gate. There were no guards at the back, and I quickly moved to the house, and shimmied up the gutter. I was on the third floor when I saw red plants. I looked farther into the room, and noticed red water in different kinds of flasks. Looking even more, I was able to see a tallish boy with blonde hair and a similar looking boy who was shorter than him. Luckily, their backs were turned to me. _'Yup, those aren't the Elric Brothers, but they should be here eventually. I guess I'll just wait in this town until they get here.'_

With that, I managed to leave without being caught and walked back to the hotel. For the rest of the day, I sat in my room and read. I stopped when I heard loud noises from downstairs in the early evening. I put my book away and lightly walked down the hall and almost all the way down the stairs, hiding behind the wall that divides the stairs from the restaurant.

"The Philosopher's Stone?" a surprised voice sounded, one that I immediately recognized. _'Hey! That's Edward! That was a lot quicker than I expected.'_

"Yes! The two of you must have come here to Xenotime to assist Mr. Mugear in his research and finish the Philosopher's Stone," a hopeful man said.

I heard others also asking the two boys to help with creating the stone. Edward's tone was uncomfortable from all of the attention, "Well, I guess we'll just have to go visit Mr. Mugear and see what we can do."

"Before you go, can you tell us the names of our saviors?"

"Certainly, I'm Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist!" his attitude was confident and strong.

His brother's followed after him but much more softly, "And I'm his brother Alphonse."

A bunch of people gasped while others started yelling at the two. I could hear a couple of feet moving and the brothers' shocked noises. The door opened and closed, and I assumed that they threw them out. While the people were distracted by angrily talking about how anyone could fake the Elric Brothers' names, I succeeded in sneaking out of the door without anyone noticing. I checked both directions to see which one the brothers took. I spotted them pretty quickly, and ran towards them while calling out, "Hey! Wait up!"

The two turned around and Edward had a confused expression on his face, "Rose?"

As I caught up to them, I made sure my expression wasn't annoyed, "No… Anyway, I know you two are the real Elric Brothers."

Edward scowled, "Then why didn't you tell those people then?"

I stuck my tongue out at him and smiled, "Well, it's your name, so I thought you should handle the situation. Besides, I knew you two would show up sooner or later because of the Philosopher's Stone."

"Why does it matter? We don't care about fans," Edward said with a hint of annoyance.

I grimaced back at him, "I'm not a fan. I want to help you, and in return, you help me."

"Deal with your own problems! We don't need your help, and we can't have a girl with us. It's too dangerous," with that said, he turned around and began to leave.

Before Alphonse could scold him, I ran and grabbed his left arm, using my momentum to throw him over my head and onto the ground. I was a bit ticked off, "Look here, Elric. I know I can be of use to you, and at the same time, you'll be helping me. I have certain reasons for finding the stone, just like you do."

Alphonse's timid voice chimed in before his brother could speak, "Why do you want to find the Stone?"

I gave him a sad smile, "I can't tell you two much right now, but I will die if I don't get your help. I'm trying to stop someone from getting their hands on it, someone who won't use it for good reasons. And this person is powerful, and I need even stronger people to help me." I looked back to Edward with a determined look, "But regardless, I will follow you either way. This is my life, and honestly, I like living. Therefore, I _will _get your help, with or without your consent."

Edward was still hesitant, but Alphonse looked at him and pleaded, "Come on, Brother. How can we leave her to fight this on her own? She can fight, but it sounds like she still needs help. Either way, it's better than having another enemy."

Edward huffed and started walking in the direction of Mugear's mansion, "Well, come on then."

I started following the short blonde and smiled to Alphonse, "Thank you. By the way, I'm Emmeline. But you can call me Emma."

Alphonse turned toward me, and I could hear the smile in his voice, "It's nice to meet you. As you already know, I'm Alphonse, and that's Edward. You can call me Al."

I smiled back to him before looking forward. _'That wasn't so bad. I think this will work out fine. I let them know just enough information, but they can't know what I really am. They would definitely not help me if they knew. Who would help a Homunculus?'_

When we were almost there I said, "So, there is a wall surrounding the property. Inside, there are guards, but when I came earlier, they were only guarding the front entrance. The two I think that are impersonating you are also brothers. One is a taller blonde, and the younger one looks similar, but just shorter."

Edward gave me a weird look, "How do you know?"

I shrugged, "I came here earlier to snoop around to see if it was really you two. But see, I'm already helpful."

"Whatever," Edward blew me off, and I stuck my tongue out at his back.

We went around the house through the woods, over the gate, and came to the back of the house. I could feel Al getting nervous, "Brother, are we really going to sneak in?"

Ed snorted a bit, "Of are we are! To confront these imposters and get them to tell us all about the Philosopher's Stone."

We made it to a side of the house where no one was guarding. Quickly, Edward made a door into ground floor. When we got in, I noticed that it looked like a library. Edward and Al went one way, and I checked out another area. I heard Edward say, "All of these books are about the Philosopher's Stone."

Looking at the spines of the books, I noticed what he was saying was correct. "Yeah, the books over here are about it too," I called out, but not too loudly.

Then I heard the door open and a male voice say, "In case the guards weren't a clue, this place is off limits."

I figured that they saw Edward and Al, so I stayed hidden behind a bookshelf. Al spoke first, "Are you the guys –"

"Who are stealing our names?!" someone didn't sound too happy.

"I take it that you are the real Ed, in the suit," the boy said. _'Oh no, here we go.'_

"No you dolt! I'm Ed, not him! Why does everyone think that?!" Edward yelled.

A new voice similar to Al's demeanor spoke, "Huh? You're the older brother?"

"Damn right!"

The other older brother seemed much more calm, "Try to tone it down a notch, or the gunman will realize you're here." I heard walking, "How bizarre, the real younger brother wears a suit of armor to protect himself. It's hard to believe you're only 14."

"How do you know so much about us?" Al sounded creeped out a bit.

"You wanna start something with me?" Edward pushed.

"No, I don't want to fight with you, Edward," the guy seemed annoyed. "So why don't you turn around and go home and leave us to take care of things around here?"

That guy was kind of annoying, and Edward seemed to think the same, "That's not the way you beg someone to do something…" There was a pause, "On your knees. I said get down on the ground!"

"Why? So we can see eye to eye? Clearly, you must me used to people looking down on you."

I had to stop myself from laughing, but I could feel Edward's anger. After a second or two, I could hear a slap followed by the older imposter's voice, "An automail arm, the real Ed has seem some action too."

"And I'm glad to see you have some skill, I'd hate for you to be damaging my name!" Edward shouted.

'_Perfect, they're going to start a fight. That will give me enough cover to go farther into the house._' I tip toed to the end of the wall and used the loud noises of the two older brothers to mask my transmutation. I ended up in the room adjacent to the library, which was still filled with books. I clapped my hands and fixed the hole I made. I quickly found my way out of the room and to the room I saw earlier. I was surprised that there weren't many guards on the inside.

I committed everything I saw to memory when I made it to the experimenting room. A flask filled with the red water caught my eye. I walked up to it and picked it up, coughing when it got too close to my face. _'That's weird.'_ I placed it back down and read the notes next to it. _'So this is red water, if it made me cough, it must be what is making the other people cough too. Says here that they are trying to reverse engineer the water back into a stone. Wait, how can you do that? Guess you really can't, but they've made red stones which are close…' _I stopped reading when I heard footsteps.

I went to the door on the other side of the room and gently closed it behind me. I was in a hall and went down the staircase. I found another door that looked like it led to a basement. I quietly opened the door and walked down the stairs. The walls and steps were concrete. The farther I walked, the more the sound of rushing water could be heard. I quickened my pace and soon found the source. It was a stream of red water. I started coughing again, but was fine after I put my sleeve to my mouth. I followed it upstream hoping to find the beginning of it. Soon the concrete turned into dirt, and I found the fountain where the red water began. Next to the fountain, I found a very familiar figure.

"I should have known Dante was behind this," I said to Lust.

She seemed slightly surprised, "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be with the Elric Brothers?"

I laughed under my breath, "I was, but we got separated though. I'll meet up with them tomorrow. Edward is suspicious, but Al is buying the cute act quite nicely. But why are you here?"

"Glad to see that you're making headway. I'm here to control the other half of this game – Mugear and the fake brothers. Don't forget, we always are in control," Lust's sultry smile graced her lips.

"As it should be. I've only been here for a short time, and I already know that." A sadistic smile found its place on my lips, "Who knew manipulation could be so much fun?"

"Yes, it really is." Her smile faltered, "It's time for you to go. I have a meeting. Keep doing what you are doing."

"Gladly," with that, I turned on my heel and walked back to the door I came out of. _'Guess I just wait till tomorrow night for the Elric Brothers to sneak in again. I'm sure they'll be back. Until then, I can go back to the room I found.'_

I was somehow able to find my way to the smaller library I found earlier. Going through a few walls definitely helped. I grabbed a few books, dusted the couch off, and plopped down when I got to the room. Most of them said the same thing about the Philosopher's Stone. However, one stood out from the rest. It mentioned that to create a Philosopher's Stone, human life was needed to abide to the laws of Equivalent Exchange. Life had to be used even in the red stones and red water. I felt slightly nauseous at that fact. I looked down at my body with disgust. _'I have human souls _in_ me. I admit, some people deserve to be manipulated and are better off being used for something else… But not all people. Babies, children, mothers, people who only wish to live life simply…'_ I shook my head to get rid of such weak thoughts.

_**Humans are humans. They are all greedy and weak in one way or another.**_

'_And even though I don't give a damn about these humans who would be used to make the stone, I need to get rid of Dante. She will _not _use me. Even if it kills the people I'm using, including the Elric Brothers. I just have to keep up this act until they start trusting me. I'll have them wrapped around my finger. I'll do whatever it takes to see Dante struggling for air under my grip. I can't have the Elric Brothers knowing about this fact about the Philosopher's Stone. I still need to keep Dante under the impression that I'm helping her by getting them close to the Stone.' _With that final thought decided, I went back to reading until the next nightfall.

A while after the sun set, I decided to wait outside for the Elric Brothers to come around. After about two hours, I thought it was weird that I didn't see them yet. Just when I was about to call it quits and head back, I heard the sounds of glass breaking and saw two figures jump out of a window. _'There they are!' _Quickly, I followed them, which, thanks to being half Homunculus, was relatively easy. I called out to them when we were a decent ways away from the mansion, "Hey, guys!"

It was then I noticed that I couldn't see them anymore. I stopped running and listened to my surroundings. I heard a clap and a rumble in the ground. Instinctively, I also capped my hands and pressed them to the ground, creating a dome of dirt to protect me. When I was mentally prepared for a fight, I clapped my hands and touched the sphere, making it disintegrate. Through the falling debris, it dawned on me the mistake I made. In front of me stood Edward Elric with his signature scowl. I watched Edward's face go from mad, to shocked, and then to furious. I just gave a sheepish smile as he marched up to me. His anger was almost tangible, "You did a transmutation without a circle."

Since he pointed out the obvious, so did I, "Yes, I did. And so did you."

That didn't make him too pleased, "Don't screw around with me. If you can do that, it means that you've seen the Gate, right?"

I suddenly found the ground really interesting, "Yes."

"How?" he pressed even further.

"I can't tell you," my voice still held steady as I looked him back in the eyes.

He paused before yelling, "And why the hell not?!"

"Brother, stop. It's obvious that you're making her uncomfortable. We don't know if there is more than one way to see the Gate," Al's voice calmed Edward down a little.

After his brother was done talking, he looked back at me, his gold eyes hard, "Alright. But if you are going to be tagging along with us, you _will _give us answers eventually."

"Of course," I promised.

There was an awkward silence that Al broke, "So where did you go last night?"

I was grateful for the change of topic, "I thought it would be better if I stayed behind and gathered information."

They seemed interested now, and Edward asked, "What did you find?"

I sighed, "Unfortunately, not much. Most of the books just repeated themselves. I only found out that the two brothers are trying to reverse engineer a stone from this stuff called red water. It didn't go into much detail, and I didn't really understand it, but I guess that's how they've been making red stones. I also found a fountain and stream of the stuff underneath the house. It made me cough a lot, so I had to cover my mouth with my sleeve so I didn't pass out. But that was about it."

Edward smiled a bit, "That's a decent bit of information, so thanks."

I smiled back, "That's great. Anyway, I'll leave you guys for tonight. I'll meet you guys here at noon tomorrow to take these guys down?"

"Of course," Edward's motivation face was on.

I nodded to them, and walked back to the hotel. As soon as I got back, I put my curly hair into a high braid, leaving my bangs in my face. _'Guess I should start preparing to do some fighting. Long hair when down always gets in the way.' _I looked around the room and started packing my things. When I was done, I flopped onto the bed and opened up an alchemy book until it was time to go visit the Elrics.

I swiftly made my way to the spot I last saw the two brothers. Getting comfy in a tree, I placed my makeshift bag next to me and started reading again. And I waited. And waited. And waited some more. Suddenly, I saw red water covering the ground, flowing down the side of the mountain.

I stood up, and rushed up to the top of the tree to see what was going on. Up there, I was able to see the top of the mountain spewing out red water at an alarming rate. I was also able to see that someone used alchemy to create a large wall of earth, making a bowl out of the side of the mountain to contain the water. After that, the strangest thing happened. The trees glowed bright green. I jumped down and looked around in awe. The trees went from green to red and then grew taller. Next, they turned from red to blue and evaporated into the air. With the trees gone, I could see that the red water was also gone. _'They must have used the trees to absorb the red water. Wait… damn it! I missed the action again!' _I turned toward the mansion again and was able to see two sets of brothers. I ran towards them, "There you guys are!"

I reached them and Edward's expression turned annoyed. I assumed that he still hasn't warmed up to me following him. On the other hand, the other set of brothers looked confused. The younger one spoke first, "Who are you?"

Edward scoffed, "Our stalker."

"Yup! That's me! By the way, I'm not leaving your side. You guys have too much fun, and I don't want to miss it anymore!" I pouted a bit.

Al chuckled, "You do tend to miss the 'fun'."

I smiled, "So, where do we go now?"

Edward abruptly paled, "We have to go back to East City."

I titled my head in confusion, "What's wrong with East City?"

"You'll see," Al sounded amused.

Before I knew it, I was sitting in the seat behind Edward's on the train. A little girl I recognized from the restaurant handed a basket of lemons to Al. The two sets of brothers exchanged goodbyes, and then the train started moving. I felt like I shouldn't wave because I didn't really know them. I really only stalked them. Feeling something hit my hand, I looked down to see that there was a tear on it. _'What? I'm crying?'_ I quickly wiped the tears away and forced myself not to produce anymore. _'Lust was right. We can't be loved in this form. I can't make friends like that. I can't be like Edward and Al.'_ For a while, I just wallowed in my own sadness. We were crossing a bridge when I heard Edward say, "Hey, there's a letter."

I heard the sound of paper being torn and unfolded. Curiosity got the better of me, and I poked my head over the seat so I could look over his shoulder. As he went stiff, I started laughing. Turns out, the other older brother was actually younger than Edward, but so much taller than him! Al of course got curious, and after multiple attempts, was able to grab and read the letter.

"Damn, can't believe that he's a year younger than me and already so much taller. Life's so unfair," Edward pouted.

"You think those two will be alright?" Al asked.

Edward thought for a second, "Yeah, they'll be fine, and maybe we will be too."

I sat back down in my seat for a few minutes. In that time I gained the courage to peak my head over the seat again, "Hey… do you mind if I sit with you?"

To my surprise, Edward grinned at me, "Sure."

I smiled back at him and moved to sit next to him. I pulled out my alchemy book and started reading. Even though there was silence between us, it was still comfortable and warm, which was something I never experienced with the Homunculi. I glanced up to Edward and Al and smiled a bit to myself. _'Maybe I will be fine too.'_

* * *

**And scene! So, what did you think? I hoped you like reading it because I liked writing it! Mainly just the ending, because you get to see Emma's weak points. The next couple of chapters are fillers and should be a bit funnier. Thanks for reading! **


	6. Chapter 6: The New Faces

**So… I'm sorry. Band camp and the first two weeks of sophomore year kicked my butt. Literally three and a half weeks of nonstop things to do. But, all should be well! **

**Disclaimer: No matter how much I wish I did, I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

* * *

I really hate rain.

Yes, I understand its purpose and all, but I still loathe its existence. And of course, as soon as we exited the train, it just had to start pouring. Let's just say I'm far from a happy camper right now.

Currently, we were walking towards East City's military command center. However, it was taking _forever_ to get there because _someone_ didn't want to get there in a timely fashion. When I was completely soaked by precipitation, I snapped, "Can you… oh, I dunno… HURRY IT UP?!"

Edward didn't look back at me, but answered just as annoyed, "No. Besides, we can see it."

I looked up and saw the large concrete building with the Amestris' green flag about the main door down the street. _'Finally! I'm freezing!'_ When we reached the gate, I was ready to run inside, but, to my annoyance, we didn't enter right away.

After a minute, Edward spoke up, "Well… we're here."

"Yeah! We're here! Can we go in now?" I sulked. The more I stood out here, the more I hated everyone and everything.

The blonde sighed, and Al immediately tended to his brother, "What's the matter?"

"What do you think is the matter?" his voice defeated. "Once again, I have to listen to Colonel Sarcasm tell me how much I screwed up. 'Struck out on the Philosopher's Stone again, huh? How am I supposed to keep funding this goose chase? Money doesn't grow on trees there, Chief! Huh, where'd you run off to? Oh wait, there you are! I couldn't see you there behind my paperwork, seeing how you're so short and all. Hahahahaha.' Ugh. Now that we're here, I might as well get the verbal abuse over with."

During his impersonation of the Colonel, Al and I sweat dropped. There was no way a guy in such a high position could possibly act that way. Edward snapped me out of my thoughts on what this man could be like, "Hey! Al?!"

I looked around to notice that Al was really gone. Edward's line of sight stopped, and I looked in the same direction to see a metal figure hunched in the entrance of an alley. He called for Al again making the younger brother jump and sound nervous, "Coming, Brother!"

"What are you up to?" suspicion evident in the older brother's voice.

Poor Al was so nervous and flustered, I decided to step in for him, "Oh, he probably just saw something and wanted to check it out, but it was nothing. Right, Al?"

Al's appreciation was almost tangible. Nonetheless, he was a horrible liar, "Uh… Oh yeah! That's definitely what happened!"

A scream came from the building we were supposed to be in, turning our attention to it. We just stared at it until the State Alchemist uneasily spoke up, "Uh… What was that?"

Since we didn't receive an answer, Edward led the way into the building. The combination of twists and turns to the office was enough to make me dizzy, but we eventually made it to our destination. I followed in after Edward and Al and was met with several different pairs of eyes.

"Hey, Fullmetal. Who's that?" a man with blonde hair and cigarette hanging from his mouth questioned after a few seconds.

Before Edward could answer, a man with the traditional blue military uniform and dark hair appeared from another door, "Yes, Fullmetal. I would also like to know who she is, especially since it's amazing to see someone who is actually shorter than yourself. Plus, you need to tell me about your recent endeavors."

I nudged Edward to quiet him before he could explode. I smiled to everyone and tried to put on my friendliest face, "Hello. My name is Emmeline. I met the two Brothers in Xenotine. I would like to be an alchemic doctor and I am looking for the Philosopher's Stone as well because it would be of great use to the people I could help. They said no at first, but luckily, I'm a bit more stubborn than that."

I smiled a little awkwardly, allowing that to translate as embarrassment to make my lie seem more believable. _'I really have to thank Lust for those lying lessons.'_ Everyone in the room nodded and looked to the older brother for confirmation. Before that could happen, a meow came from somewhere towards Al. Edward quickly excused us, and we rushed back into the hall. We walked down the hall some, so we wouldn't have eavesdroppers. When we were far enough, Al opened up his chest plate to reveal a small kitten.

'_Oh yeah… he's empty. But they don't know that I know that.'_ I gasped in shock and sounded a bit nervous, "Um… why is Al empty?"

Edward had a look of horror before trying to play it off as nothing, like he did with Rose. Al seemed nervous, now for two reasons. After letting them stew for a while, I held up my hand and smiled, "Hey, I have secrets too, so I can't judge yours. We'll talk about them when the time is right."

They were so shocked with my reaction that I had to bring them back to the current situation, "So, what do we do about this little guy?"

Edward snapped out of it pretty quickly, "Well, we can't keep him. Al, you can't pick up every stray you see," the older brother's voice was stern but calm, almost like scolding a small child.

Al sounded so heart broken, "But it isn't any stray! He called to me! He's wet and hungry. Can't we keep him?"

"No, Al! Now go put it back where you found it!" Edward lost his calm façade.

Al started to cry as he hit his brother and called him a jerk. He proceeded to run down the hall yelling, "I hate you, Brother! You're not even human!"

I sighed and ran after the younger brother and called back to Edward, "I'll calm him down! We'll find you later!"

I chased after him for a while, but was able to catch up to him thanks to my inhuman speed. I quickened my pace and jumped on top of him. When he didn't immediately stop, I realized he didn't notice I was on him. He wasn't the smoothest of rides, and I could feel myself quickly becoming nauseous, "Hey! Al! Stop!"

He jumped when he noticed that I was on him. He quickly stopped, allowing me slide off of him and try to make my head stop spinning. Once I felt better, I moved in front of him and took the shocked little kitten from his armor. The baby sighed in relief and cuddled into my side, allowing me to cover him with my coat. I looked to Al and I could feel his sadness. I sighed, "Sadly, Edward is right. There is no way we could keep him. A cat needs a home. A family he can cuddle with every night. We can't do that. Plus the little guy might get hurt. I know how you feel. When I was little, I always wanted a pet. However, my dad always said no. Even when I brought countless strays home, I was never able to keep them…"

Al looked down at the kitten, sniffling a bit, "Brother did too. But Mom always said no. But what could we do with him? We can't leave him outside!"

I nodded and quickly answered before Al could have another meltdown, "When I brought home strays, Dad and I would always go to the nearest pet store and get some animal food. We would also make a blanket and basket from alchemy. Then we would go find someone who would take care of the animal."

Al's mood brightened, "That's a great idea! Let's go!"

We walked out of the building, and unfortunately it was still raining, but lighter now. We started walking in a random direction in hopes of finding a store. After about a minute, Al spoke up, "Emma, do you mind if I ask you where you're from?"

I smiled, "You can ask me anything. If I don't want to answer, I'll just say so."

"That works for me."

"Anyway, I'm from a town called Kady. It's a little town north of Dublith." Al stiffened when I said the last word, "What's wrong with Dublith?"

Al waved his hands, "Oh, nothing! It's just that Teacher is from there, and she had a very harsh style of teaching is all. If you stay with us long enough, you might meet her. That way you'll understand my fear."

"Okay," I chuckled a bit. I understood what fear arose from a harsh teacher, like Envy. "So where are you and Edward from?"

Al's cheery attitude came back, "Brother and I are from a town called Resembol. It's just south of here."

We continued to wander and talk around the city. After about an hour, we still weren't able to find a store. When we asked a local, they said that there weren't any in East City. This, along with being wet the bone again, forced us to head back to Headquarters.

"What do we do now?" Al asked in a dejected voice.

I sighed, "I dunno, I guess just hope Edward won't chuck the little guy out of the window."

I meant it as a joke, but Al obviously didn't hear the sarcasm as he started freaking out, "No! He can't do that! I'll throw him out the window first! Brother would never be so cold hearted, right?! I'll never let anything bad happen to this defenseless little kitten!"

He calmed down at the sound of me laughing, "I was just kidding, Al. I'm sure Edward won't do anything like that. He's still human, and he seems nice. Relax, we'll figure something out."

I couldn't see his face, but I could feel his smile. Now that I thought about it, the young man next to me was an incredibly warm person. Even without an actual face, he can still portray emotions better than most people. There was also just something about him that radiated warmth. His brother also had that aspect to him, but it wasn't as noticeable. Either way, their warmth almost makes me feel human again, like I'm not some monster. Then again, they think I'm human.

"We're here…" Al's voice snapped me out of my thought process.

I must have been deep in thought because we were standing in front of a door in a dorm style hall. Al took a deep breath and opened the door, and inside was Edward sitting on the bottom of a bunk bed. As the older brother looked up, Al gathered some courage and in a stern voice said, "Brother, we are going to keep this kitten until we find him a good home!"

Instead of being angry like we expected, Edward smiled, "That's fine, Al. I think I found a home for him anyway. I just have to beat the Colonel's ass tomorrow!"

"Why are you fighting the Colonel?" Al and I asked simultaneously.

Edward's grin showed how determined he was, "A battle assessment."

"Battle assessment?" Al and I asked at the same time again.

"Don't worry about it. You'll see tomorrow," the blonde stated.

Al sat down, and I quickly realized that this is the place that they would be spending the night. Well… this could be awkward. I was about to speak up when Al beat me to it, "You can stay here tonight, if you want to. Right, Brother?"

Edward looked up and smiled, "Yeah, sure."

I smiled back and set my bag down by the desk. I sat down and pulled the little kitten out of my jacket. I smiled as I pet him, "He's dry, but he's still probably hungry."

At the chance to help the kitten, Al hopped up, "I'll go get him some milk!"

I chuckled a little as Al ran out of the room. Edward had taken his jacket off and was polishing his automail. _'It looks even cooler up close. It's amazing how something like that could work. The design is also stunning.'_

"It's pretty weird, huh?" Edward said, making me realize that I was staring at him.

I laughed awkwardly, "No! Not at all. Actually, I think it's really interesting. Umm… Can I touch it? Or is that weird?"

Edward blushed a bit, "Sure."

I sat on the bed next to him and let my fingers slide against the cool metal. Turning his arm, I was able to see the wires connecting the nerves to his body. His hand was the most amazing part. There were so many different and small parts, but they all worked in perfect harmony. "Do you know how it all works?" my fascination evident.

"Not really. You'd have to ask my mechanic Winry," Edward said, clearly uncomfortable.

I nodded and sat back down next to the kitten. After a while, Al came back with milk in a dish for the little fuzzball. The kitten meowed happily when the dish was on the floor and practically attacked it.

We all smiled at the kitten and watched it eat. When it was done, I stood up and stretched. I grabbed my bag and asked, "Hey, where's the bathroom?"

Edward looked up from his automail, which he was _still _polishing, "Down the hall to the right."

I walked out the door and found the bathroom easily. Luckily, the men's and women's bathrooms were separate. I decided to take a quick shower and put on my black sleeveless shirts and shorts. After putting my hair up in a braid, I walked back to the room. Al was playing with the kitten and Edward was already sleeping.

"Hey, Al, do you sleep at all?" I asked.

Al looked up to me, his voice sad, "No… I can't eat or feel either… I miss being human."

I gave him a sad smile. He almost made me want to spill my secret of also not needing to do those things. _'Ugh, this kid is going to make me go soft. Hell, who am I kidding? I am going soft because of them. Damn, and in only a day and a half.' _My smile turned into a determined one, "You'll get your body back. I'm sure of it."

"I hope so…" Al's voice trailed off.

Walking over to the closet, I was able to find an extra blanket. I folded the blanket and set the sleepy kitten on top of it. Al petted its head softly.

"I guess I should go to bed. Night, Al," I said.

"Night, Emma," his tone still held a twinge of sadness.

I climbed onto the top bunk while Al turned off the lights. I kind of wanted to help him. He reminds me of what a human should be, but it's ironic that he isn't. Well, his soul is definitely human. These two almost make me want to be human again. Almost. I did have a bigger problem though. _How am I going to plan ahead when I don't know what's happening on the outside. I hate not being in charge of every little detail. I guess I'll have to find one of the others soon.' _I fell asleep imagining the multiple scenarios that could happen.

The first thing I heard was two boys talking. I sat up and stretched. I jumped off the top bunk, barely landing on my feet and earned the attention of the two brothers.

"Good morning," Al chuckled along with his brother at my slouched shoulders, messed up hair, and overall disheveled appearance.

I saw Edward was already dressed, and decided I should get dressed too. I sighed, and grabbed my clothes and dragged my feet to the bathroom. I slowly changed into a red shirt, black pants, and boots. I looked in the mirror and saw that Edward and Al had the right to laugh. I washed my face and redid my braid, fixing my appearance. I walked back to the room and saw the two brothers waiting for me. I grabbed my jacket and the kitten.

"Ready?" Edward asked me.

I didn't bother using words, "Un."

The brothers laughed again and walked out of the room. I followed them to the cafeteria. We got food, excluding Al. When we sat down, Al attempted to strike up a conversation, "So, do you have a strategy?"

Edward put on his determined face again, "Yup! I'm just going to kick his ass!"

"Well, that's the goal in every fight, genius," I commented grumpily.

He just shot me an annoyed look, "I have a strategy. I just want it to be a secret."

"So, you really don't have one?" I asked while raising an eyebrow.

Edward refused to look at me, but instead got up, "It's time to go."

Al and I gave each other a worried look and followed him to the place where the fight would take place. Even though we were there early, there were still a lot of people in uniforms waiting for the battle. When it became time to split up, Al and I wished Edward good luck, but he still insisted that he didn't need it.

The two of us tried to find a place near the fence, but that was a lost cause. Al saw me jumping to try to see what was going on, "Do you want to sit on my shoulders?"

"Yes! I can't see a damn thing down here!" I gladly climbed up and sat on his left shoulder.

Al laughed quietly, "You know, Brother would never do this. He would insist he could see so that he wouldn't be admitting that he is short."

"Really?! That's too funny. I knew he got mad when someone called him short, but I didn't know he had so much pride. For me, I don't really care. Besides, I can be lazy. People grab things for me that are too high, and right now, I don't even have to stand on my own. Being short definitely has its perks."

Al laughed this time, "I wish Brother could think like that."

I laughed along with him. When we calmed down, I asked, "So, is Edward a good fighter?"

"Yeah, he's good at hand to hand and with alchemy. The only person he hasn't been able to beat at hand to hand is me," the slight cockiness in his voice was something new to me.

A voice through a microphone grabbed the crowd's attention, "Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the Eastern Command Center Festival, a guaranteed break from that soldier grind. Incidentally, take a look..." The man talking had glasses, black hair, and a blue military uniform. His body language screamed energetic and somewhat insane. He pulled a string that was attached to the large wall behind him uncovering a picture of a cute little girl, "my daughter who turned three this year. Isn't she adorable?!"

The poor guy had things thrown at him. I looked down to Al, "Who's that?"

Al just laughed, the smile evident in his voice, "That's Hughes. He's an… interesting man. Brother and I were there to help deliver his little girl. We were at his house for Edward's birthday when she went into labor. There was a blizzard outside so Hughes went to go get the doctor, but never made it back in time. This left us to do it…"

My stomach churned, "Ewwwww."

"Yeah, it was pretty scary, but amazing at the same time. I've never experienced anything like it," Al concluded.

We heard a loud thud to see that the mural had fallen on top of Hughes. Luckily, he was okay and was able to continue, "And now, without any further distraction, we move directly to today's main event. In the red corner the Flame Alchemist and the Hero of the Eastern Rebellion, Colonel Ray Mustang!" A bunch of boos followed, but that did nothing to Hughes' attitude, "And in the blue corner, we have the Fullmetal Alchemist and living legend of the people, let's hear it for Edward Elric!"

Another series of boos rang through the crowd along with 'I can't see him' comments, all of which didn't put Edward in a good mood. Hughes had to hold him back as he yelled, "Don't call me small! I'll break off your feet and stick them on your head!"

After the outburst, the two State Alchemists stared each other down, which was easier for Mustang because he was so much taller. Hughes got back into the middle of the two, "Alchemists get set! Ready and fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight!"

I've never seen someone move as fast as he did when he ran off the battle ground. Once Hughes was down screaming, the Colonel snapped his fingers creating a huge flame. The force pushed Edward back, but the older man didn't let up his attacks. Explosion after explosion made Edward fun away into the crowd for protection. This strategy would have worked, until Mustang shouted, "This is hard! He's such a small target!"

"Who are you callin' small?!" Edward yelled from inside the crowd opposite from Al and me.

This was unfortunate for the guys near him because they were all blown into the air with Edward. In the dust, Edward was able to make a doll that looked like him, and Mustang fell for it. This allowed Edward to surprise him behind with his metal arm turned into a blade. He ripped Roy's glove, stopping him from doing anymore alchemy. With another clap of his hands, he was standing on a giant cannon.

Too bad that Roy had two gloves.

With a snap of his other hand, Roy blew up the cannon, spending Edward flying. Mustang walked up to the crounching Edward and raised his hand to end the fight, but for some reason, he desistated. This left Edward with just enough time to place his blade to the Colonel's throat making the Colonel lose the fight, but win a new kitten.

Later that day, I stood next to Al and the woman Al introduced me to, Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye. The woman turned to me, "So, you've been following these two boys?"

I nodded, "I need their help, and they were the only ones I could find who are also looking for the Stone. I'm really grateful for their assistance and hope to be useful to them as well."

She nodded in understanding and let silence fall over us. I soon realized that the cleanup was going to take a while, and I turned to Al, "Hey, I'm going to take a walk. I'll meet you guys back at the room later."

Al nodded in response, but I could tell he was hesitant to let me go on my own. I gave him a reassuring smile and set off in a random direction. I knew the other Homunculi were watching me, they always are. Hopefully they'll be able to tell that I need to talk to them since I'm on my own. I walked far away from Headquarters and down multiple backstreets. Soon enough I stopped in front of Lust. I wasn't in the mood to chit chat, I needed to know information now, "What's going on?"

Lust smiled, "No greetings? Someone is in a hurry. However, I believe that you should be the one giving an update."

I let out an annoyed sigh, "They don't tell me anything because they don't trust me yet, which is smart on their part. Nonetheless, little Alphonse is opening up to me quite nicely and soon Edward will be too. Once I get more information, I'll let you know. But to do adequate planning, I need to know what's going on outside of my little game."

Lust didn't look very impressed, but still gave me what I needed to know, "Envy is doing a great job at Lior. Currently, there is a civil war between themselves and the military. But you should be concerned about the man they call Scar. He's heading to East City and you will come across him. The man has been exploding State Alchemists' head from the inside. We plan on either killing him or using him in the future. All you need to do is make sure out little sacrifice Edward doesn't get killed by him or you'll end up dead as well."

I scowled, "I can't get injured by him though. The brothers will definitely find it odd that I automatically heal myself," I stated.

Lust just looked at me like I was stupid, "Then don't let him touch you. By the way, you'll be on your own for a while. I have business to attend to in Lior. Don't mess up."

With that, Lust left. I kicked a nearby trashcan in anger when she was out of sight. I stomped back to the dorms - half mad at Lust treating me like an idiot and half wondering how I was going to keep this act up. I knew I was going to have to tell them eventually, when they trusted me and when they meet the other homunculi. I sighed as I stared at the door Edward and Al were behind. _'I'm going to get them to trust me when I tell them the truth. But who knows how they'll react. Shit.'_

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**And that is the chapter! Again, please excuse my absence. College takes up all of your time. Seriously, it sucks. Anyway, I have the next chapter ready, and will be writing the next one soon, but to stay on time, I'll update every two weeks on Saturday or Sunday. **

**Speaking of updating, it would be greatly appreciated if someone would be okay with me bouncing around ideas with because I have NO idea what I want to do later with this story. So if you can/want to do it, PLEASE PM me. **

**And of course thank you to Wolves Run Free and kayleebaby13 for reviewing, along with everyone who favorites/follows this story. It really means a lot to me. **

**See ya in two weeks! :D**


	7. Chapter 7: The Right Hand of God

**I'm a day or two late. Whoopsie. College is not a fun time when it comes to work. Just bleh. On a happy note, I do have a ton of new ideas thanks to kayleebaby13 and Wolves Run Free! I send them much love. Alright, let's go! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

* * *

I stretched as soon as we got off the train. Luckily, it was only an hour ride, "Ah! It's such a beautiful day! Not a single rain cloud in sight!"

Al laughed, "So you don't like rain and mornings. Anything else we should know that you don't like?"

My smile faltered for a split second before returning. My natural reaction would be to say my father, Dante, or people in general. Instead I just lied, "Nope! Anyway, what are we even doing here?"

Edward gave me a confused look, "Huh? We haven't told you?"

"Nope," I shook my head for emphasis.

"Oh, well we're trying to find a man named Marcoh. He visited Xenotime and healed the people who came in contact with red water. We think he may have a Philosopher's Stone," Edward explained.

I nodded as we walked into the town. Edward asked a bunch of people for Marcoh, but the only doctor was named Maroh. I wasn't sure if it was only a coincidence, but those two named sounded extremely similar. Apparently it wasn't because all of the townspeople commented on the strange light that occurred when they were being treated. While we were discussing why Marcoh would become a doctor, Edward pushed us into a pile of hay alongside the road.

"This is a bad idea, I'm filling up with straw," Al complained.

I couldn't help but laugh at him. He was just too adorably funny. Al just took more offense to that, "Hey! Don't laugh at me! That's not very nice!"

"Aww, I'm sorry, Al. You're just too cute," I apologized.

"Will you two be quiet," Edward was annoyed.

When we settled down, we noticed a rather tall man with a shiny bald head and a military uniform covered by a gray trench coat. Al was the first to comment, "Who's that?"

Edward relayed what Colonel Mustang had told him, and that this man was the only one who knew about Marcoh's whereabouts. We decided that we should visit Marcoh before the other State Alchemists got there.

We took the directions the townspeople had told us earlier. The greeting we got from the doctor was not a very pleasant one. Unless it's normal to shoot at whoever knocks on your door around here. Geez, all Edward said was that he was a State Alchemist.

"I know what you want, you said you were a State Alchemist. You think you can take me back there," the older man didn't let down his gun even though it was shaking just like his voice.

"So you are doctor Marcoh, the Crystal Alchemist, is that really true?" Al's voice was surprisingly calm.

"No, no, no! No more questions or orders! I couldn't bear going back to that place!" the fear was evident in the doctor's eyes.

We kept on trying to calm the man down, but he was still frantic. Al took charge and stepped in front of the gun, explaining that he couldn't die. He let the barrel of the gun hit against the metal of his hollow armor. Marcoh put the gun down, "I see. You're him. You're the Fullmetal Alchemist."

"No, for the hundredth time, that name belongs to me!" poor Edward had to clarify.

"Maybe you should get a sign or badge with the words 'Don't let my size fool you, I'm the Fullmetal Alchemist,'" I teased, probably not the best timing for joking, but oh well.

He turned towards me, "Hey, you can't be one to talk! You're shorter than me!"

"So you're admitting that you're short?" I pushed even farther.

Al nudged me and I stopped my tantalizing. Doctor Marcoh let us into his house and explained his behavior. Apparently he was a soldier during the Ishval Rebellion, following orders and killing many. He dedicated that time to researching the stone and succeeded in creating one. But his research caused too much death, and he abandoned it to become a doctor to attempt to clear his sins. With the mention of research, Edward tried to use his ranking to get the old man to cave, but with no avail. Al, on the other hand, took a different approach, "Doctor Marcoh, about five years ago, you treated some of the babies in Xenotime. I just want you to know that they're fine now, and that the Red Water is gone."

I saw the way the doctor's eyes softened and moved to the right, towards a spot on the wall. Edward must have noticed it too because he ran to that spot and transmuted a hole into it, revealing what seemed to be a lot of research, but Edward picked up a vile of red liquid. Al was not pleased and picked Edward up, scolding him in the process. In the fight to get away, Edward dropped the vile, resulting in it breaking and the liquid forming into a sphere. The three of us crowded around it, staring in amazement.

"That's the thing that Cornello had," I said.

"Yeah, it looks exactly like it… Wait, how'd you know that?!" Edward turned toward me.

'_Shit! God, why am I so stupid?!' _Thankfully, some military guys broke into the house before I could answer.

A tan man with a seriously weird mustache came in and started spouting off names of the liquid before us and picked it up. He turned toward Marcoh and demanded that he receive the stone and the research that goes with it.

"That thing is the stone?" Edward sounded flabbergasted.

"No," the Brigadier said. He explained how it was like the stone, but how it could backfire, like it did with Cornello. However, when it works, the product is amazing. The man elaborated how it helped during the Rebellion, and I could feel his bloodlust during his speech.

Edward was shocked. He didn't care about how the stone was used, only that it was created by human hands, and the real thing could be possible. When he asked for the research, the soldier denied him access. With that he left, taking Doctor Marcoh with him.

We just stared as the doctor was pushed into the vehicle, confused at the sequence of events in the past five minutes. Something must have clicked in Edward's mind because he took after the car. Al and I remained stunned for another second before following. Surprisingly, the car stopped not too far away.

Suddenly, the car turned red before exploding. We stopped just before the cloud of dust. Once it settled, I could see that only the Brigadier and Marcoh were left alive. There was also someone new. He was tan and looked to be in his late twenties. But it wasn't the fact that he had just _exploded _a car that scared me, but rather the scar that rested above his sunglasses on his forehead. _'Fuck. That can't be the Scar guy. I'm not ready to fight him, especially since he can blow up anything with a touch.'_

The scarred man walked up to the high ranking State Alchemist, and before the soldier could pull out the fake stone, his brains were blown out. At the sight of so much blood, my body pulsed. I had to stop a twisted smile from settling on my face. I could only watch as Scar moved to Marcoh next. I didn't want to move. I wanted to see more blood.

Fortunately for the doctor, Edward grabbed him. Al grabbed me and chased after his brother and Scar. Al was still able to think well, and was able to find a hide out. When they passed us, we called them over and sealed the entrance.

If only that could stop the man because he just blew through it. We tried to run, but he used his form of what appeared to be alchemy to make the ceiling collapse before us.

"Who in the hell are you? What are you coming after us for?" Edward yelled.

"If you are the creators of this society, then there must also be destroyers," I picked up on the slight vengeance in his tone.

Marcoh tried to sacrifice himself, but I simply pulled him behind me and took out my knife, using alchemy to turn it into a katana. The brothers also readied themselves for a fight. However, the man wanted to talk about his older brother and how Edward had the same eyes as him or something like that. Edward rushed towards Scar, but missed. I remained firmly in front of Marcoh, and let Al help his brother, but instead received a decent size dent on his arm.

_**Too bad he isn't real. I want to see blood. I want to hear screaming in agony.**_

I shuttered. It felt like forever since I've had one of those thoughts. _'Damn, of all times for this side to show up. This could be dangerous if it decides to take over during a fight. I might not be able to control myself.'_

A blast of rock from the rubble snapped me out of my thoughts. Chunks of rock were sent flying through the air with impressive force, and when they stopped, the State Alchemist we saw earlier was headed for us.

Al stood in front of the doctor with me, but the bald man just moved past us to Edward. He apologized for being late and explained that Hughes had told him to protect the brothers. He then moved to Scar, introducing himself as Alex Louis Armstrong, the Armstrong Alchemist.

With Armstrong handling the situation, we ran out of the tunnel, glad to be out of harm's way. When we caught out breath, Edward handed Marcoh the stone. Marcoh asked why he didn't take it. Edward explained that he couldn't forget all the people that the stone helped treat, and he couldn't take it away from them. During his little speech, my whole being, Homunculi side included, admitted the young man before me. _'These two have lost their original bodies, and have been looking for _this_ the whole time. But they won't take it because it will hurt others. Maybe all humans aren't weak and greedy after all. Hell, all of the Homunculi would take it and leave, myself included.'_

Edward turned to Al and I, "It's time to head out! We need to find a place that the military won't find us."

We managed to make it back to the main part of the town without being seen, which was good news. The bad news was that the military presence was increasing significantly. And even worse, it was raining.

We found a section of back alleys and came across children playing. Marcoh figured that this would be a good time to tell us why he deserved to die.

_**Haha, I can arrange that. **_

'_Ugh, what's up with me? I haven't been this unstable since I was first created.'_

I pulled myself out of my thoughts to hear Marcoh talking about the amount of death that occurred in Ishval, the deaths that he helped cause, which sent me right back into my thoughts. _'Dante said that she used the lives lost from Ishval and Lior would be used to create a Philosopher's Stone. How many people does it take to create one? Maybe it has something to with strength of the stone. Also, we created the uprising in Lior, does that mean they created the one in Ishval too, or was it just convenient? I know we have control over the military, but this is just too much.'_ My head started to spin with all of the questions I had.

This time a boy yelling was what focused me on the real world. The doctor ran over to him and healed him with the fake stone. He spoke of two doctors who were also killed during the Massacre. They help both soldiers and Ishvalians. After that, he left, but much too late since most of the population was dead. He didn't blame Scar for his hostile feelings towards State Alchemists.

"He's a fraud. He's on a tirade of personal vengeance and he hides behind the excuse of 'God's will' so he can claim it's noble," Edward declared, not very thrilled with the situation.

"But still, if someone took you away from me, Brother, I think I might do the same thing. Isn't that Equivalent Exchange?," Al reasoned.

Edward was just getting more upset by the second, "No! That's not how the principle works! Haven't you learned that yet? Destroying lives doesn't bring lives back! We all just need to live as content as we can." After a few deep breaths, he calmed down and motioned for Al's dented arm to fix it, "Come here."

I spoke up, my voice slightly raspy from not really talking all day, "Doctor… you really can't blame yourself. Even if you weren't there, the people still would have died."

The doctor was confused, "How do you know that?"

"The military does whatever they want to. If they want a group of people dead, they'll do it at all costs, no matter whose lives they ruin," I said truthfully. My father told me stories about the Massacre that his friends told him. I sighed, "Besides… you're alive. Like Edward said, a life for a life isn't as equal as it seems."

Edward smiled slightly, "See? Why don't you let us hide you in our home town for a while? It's only three days on a train from here, right?"

"It might be hard on us going back there though," Al spoke with a light tone.

Edward laughed, "Not at all! We have friends there. The Rockbells, they make automail. I'm sure they'll be –"

The look of horror on Marcoh's face made Edward stop. His voice mirrored his facial features, "Rockbells? No… I can't go there. I'm sorry…"

The doctor ran off down the alley, with us chasing after him. Due to the doctor's old age, he wasn't able to go that far. I tried an alternative, "You can also go to my home in Kady. The house is empty, so it'll be hard to find you."

No, it's not that. I'm a stained man," before he could go into another sap story, Scar showed up.

The man stopped and immediately went after the old doctor, but Al ran to block Scar's attack. Red flashed and sent metal flying. My eyes widened at Al's gaping hole in his stomach. _'How can he do that? Al isn't real flesh!'_

Edward ran to save his brother, but his arm suffered the same fate. I watched as Scar moved in front of Edward, but I couldn't move.

_**I love the smell and color of blood. It's simply beautiful.**_

I couldn't help but smile at the thought. Hearing someone scream in pain was just so musical.

"Emma! Move!" Al's voice turned my attention on to the present matter. _'Damnit, no! They can't die! If they're gone, then I don't have a chance in hell at beating Dante. I need to protect them. I just have to _move.' Before Scar could touch Edward, I ran and swiped his feet from under him. He jumped, stumbling a bit. "If you don't want to die, stay –"

I pulled out my knife and went for him again. I was never one for conversation during a fight. I moved with inhuman speed. I slashed wildly at him, making sure to avoid his destructive hand. Every cut he earned pushed me further into a frenzy. I barely noticed the pain from his punches from his other hand. I dropped to sweep his feet from under him, but he grabbed my arm and forced me to my knees. I had no choice but to let him place his destructive hand on my head.

He pulled my head up roughly to look at his right arm, now exposed from the cuts I had made. Scar's voice held only held vengeance, "If you plan on protecting people who defy God, I have no choice but to get rid of you as well. This arm was given to me by God to clean this world of monsters like the State Alchemists."

Before he could blow my brains out, his tattoo glowed bright red. I looked over to see Marcoh holding his stone like a weapon. Scar grunted and held his arm in agony. I quickly moved backward towards Edward and Al. Even though I was thankful, Edward apparently wasn't, "Don't you have any sense? You should be long gone by now!"

"I investigated some of the ancient text written by your people. I remember discovering the alchemic drawing tattooed on your arm. Maybe it has flaws, but it is a Philosopher's Stone, and sure enough, your arm is responding to it."

"Don't say it! You know nothing," Scar was obviously hiding from the truth.

Scar ran towards Marcoh, causing the doctor to throw the stone at Scar's oncoming hand. The stone absorbed into his skin as he started screaming.

_**Damn that sounds good.**_

The scarred man tried to run, but was blocked by military. He slammed his red arm into the ground, creating a large hole into the sewer system.

When all had cleared and settled down, I watched Edward and Al right over Edward's willing ness to let Scar blow his brains out. I stood up and gave each brother a good kick.

"Hey, what was that for?!" the two yelled simultaneously.

I crossed my arms and sat back down, "You two put yourselves in serious danger! I'm the only one allowed to do that! Without you two, I'm dead meat. So I'm the first do die! Always!"

Edward's voice turned serious, "I would help if we knew _why_ we are helping you from."

I looked around me at the military personnel, "Later."

The older brother frowned, but nodded. We sat down together for a while. Soon, the Fuhrer's secretary called for Marcoh, explaining that he needed to be placed in protective custody. I looked over to see a soft faced woman with dark brown hair. _'That must be Sloth.'_ Her knowing look confirmed my assumption. Edward looked scared, "Marcoh, don't!"

"It's like I told you, Ed. I can't go with you. Your hometown is a place where I could never be welcomed."

The blonde was confused, "Why not?"

"The two doctors we executed in Ishval…their named were Rockbell," the man couldn't even look at Edward, and Edward couldn't look at Marcoh as he was placed into the vehicle.

After the car had sped off, Al spoke in a soft voice, "Brother, I think I just heard Mom's voice."

Edward brushed off the comment, even though I could tell he heard it too, "Come on, Al, you just had a brush with death. Don't go unstable on me now."

I looked away from the two literally broken brothers. _'I don't know why, but I feel drawn to these two. I can't trust them, and I can't tell them the truth. However, I want to, no matter how hard it'll be. I want them to like me, even if I am unlikable.'_

We sat in silence until the man who introduced himself as Armstrong came over to us. He explained that he was delegated to escort us to the brothers' hometown so Edward could be fixed, and in turn have Al fixed. Of course, Edward complained about having an escort, but they would only have me to protect them. Which would be fine, but without using my inhumane abilities I'm only average.

Soon enough, we were on the train to Resembol. Well, Al was stuck in the back with a bunch of sheep because he had to go on as cargo. But Edward and I sat in the passenger train across from the very large State Alchemist. Before we left, Hughes stopped by our window, "Hey, I've got a message from Roy."

"You mean the Colonel?" Edward didn't seem too ecstatic.

The man ignored him, "He said, 'Don't die under my command! You're enough of a pain without the paperwork.' That was it."

Edward scowled, "Tell him fine, there's no way I'm going to die before you do, you morally bankrupt Colonel with a God complex. Tell him to take this gorilla escort here off my hands too."

"Alright, easy!" Hughes went from joking to serious, "Look, Ed, I don't know what Marcoh said to upset you, but I have some info you might find helpful. Three years ago, we found the remains of a young girl who was changed into a chimera. I'm sure you remember."

Edward perked up, "Nina?"

"The way she was torn apart, turns out it's identical to the way Scar's been killing."

The blonde's eyes widened and a sinister smirk fell on his lips, matching his tone, "Thanks, Hughes. That does help. Now I can take him on."

Hughes gave a half smile, "I'll see you back in Central."

The train started moving a few minutes later, heading towards Resembol. I was looking forward to a relaxing, and dry, ride. However, Edward and I got to sit and listen to Armstrong talk about how amazing his lineage is. Oh well, at least I'm not in the rain.

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**I apologize for any grammatical mistakes, I kind of only skimmed the chapter because I wanted to post it. Hope you liked the chapter anyway! Stay tuned because next chapter will contain FLUFF! Well, I'll try anyway. It's hard to do fluff with Edward. But I'll try my best! Quick thanks to RoseGranger and kayleebaby13 (again) for reviewing! Also thank you to everyone who views, follows, and favorites this story. I seriously like spazz out every time I get a view, follow, review, or favorite. I did fall out of my chair once, but it's okay. THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE! 3**


	8. Chapter 8: The Family

**Hi! I'm back early! Since it's (barely) still the 3****rd****, I decided to post! I apologize if there are any grammatical errors, but I just really wanted to post today because it's also Emma's birthday! Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Fullmetal Alchemist. Sigh.**

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I looked around at the small town before me. Past the very few buildings in town were rolling hills spotted with farm homes. It reminded me of home.

There was a comfortable silence between the four of us as we walked further from the town. The sun warmed us and a light breeze came every now and again to cool us down.

"It's beautiful here, and so peaceful," Armstrong commented, peacefulness obvious in his voice.

Edward smiled, "Yeah, it's rural. A nice way of saying that there's nothing going on."

"4 years, Brother."

"Has it really been that long?" a little bit of shock in his calmed voice.

"Hm? So you haven't been home once since you left?" Armstrong copied the same tone as Edward.

"Can't really come home to a place where there is no family waiting for you. You know our general situation, don't you, Major?" for such a depressing remark, his voice was still oddly serene.

"Yes, I do."

After a while, we came upon a hill where I saw a yellow home with the sign 'Automail, Rockbells' next to the stairs. A few feet in front of the house, a large black and white dog with an automail leg came up to us and barked a greeting. I instantly smiled and pet him on his head as I watched a very small, old lady with a long pipe in her mouth walk towards us.

Edward seemed so comfortable, "Well, good to see you too, Den… Old lady Pinako, it's been a long time. I need some more of your handy work."

She just chuckled and smiled, "Apparently so. You've really done a number this time. I don't know why you have so much trouble keeping your arms."

"Oh, well, I've had a lot of things to swing at," the blonde was getting a little nervous under the old woman's scrutiny.

"Huh… yet it seems like you've gotten smaller."

Edward's face stiffened, and then he yelled, "Who are you callin' small, you mattress sized hag?!"

"You're shorter than your temper!" the lady yelled back.

"You're so short you're 2-demensional!"

More insults were thrown around until the Major set Al down, "Edward Elric! How dare you speak to your elder with such blantant disrespect? Let me remedy this fight with some gentile decorum!"

"Who the heck is this guy? He doesn't really get the joke," Pinako warily glanced at Armstrong's… wait, are those sparkles?

"Alex Louise Armstrong, humbly at your service," Armstrong put out one of his oversized hands.

The granny smiled, shaking his hand, "Flattered, I'm Pinako Rockbell." Her gaze shifted over to me, "And who might this young lady be?"

I grinned and also stuck out my hand, "My name is Emma. The boys have agreed to help me out, so I'm traveling with them."

The glint in her eyes told me she knew that there was more going on, but didn't say a word. Instead, a large wrench came flying towards Edward's face, knocking him to the ground with what looked like a painful fall.

"Great! I buy you a wrench and you try to kill me with it!" Edward shouted as he got back up.

On the second story balcony stood a pretty girl with long blonde hair around my age, wearing only a strip of black material that covered her chest and a mechanic suit rolled down to her hips. She didn't look too happy either, "Well, apparently you're trying to kill yourself! What have you been up to?!"

The two boys looked anxious but didn't say a word as we moved into the house. On the way to the room with spare beds, I quickly introduced myself to the girl from before, who I found out was Winry. Her mood drastically changed when I said I was interested in how the basics of automail worked.

However, her mood turned sour again when Edward say in front of her with a missing arm. After her rant about how stupid he was, granny Pinako took some measurements and she decided to take and make his leg longer as well. Once he was fitted with a spare leg, the three men went outside.

I sat next to Winry as she explained what each piece did, while I marveled at every word. Randomly, Pinako spoke up, "So, can you tell me what those boys have been up to? They don't keep in contact very much."

I swallowed uneasily, "Um, they really aren't in all that much danger. They just aren't that good thinking on their feet. They are also quite selfless. But don't worry, the two are really strong, both mentally and physically. Besides, I won't let anything happen to them. I really am dependent of them right now."

"That reminds me, what are you doing with them?" Winry asked as she connected different parts of wire and metal.

I sighed, dropping my voice, "There are just same bad people who are after me because of my now deceased father. After hearing about them, I thought I'd ask for their help. I'm really desperate, but I have to admit, I like being around them. They make me feel like I can take on anything."

The two Rockbells just smiled and continued working, I continued to watch Winry and Pinako, Armstrong did chores around the house, and the two brothers stayed outside.

"Do you know where Edward is? I haven't seen him in a while and that makes me nervous," Armstrong asked once he decided to take a break.

Pinako kept her eyes trained on her work, "He said he was going to visit his mother's grave I believe."

The large man sighed, "I told him it was dangerous to venture out on his own, he needs to stop taking these risks."

"Don't worry, he's not alone. He's got the best escort in Resembol with him," Pinako assured.

I smiled at Winry, "My brain hurts from all of the information, I think I'll go keep Al company."

She chuckled and nodded. I walked out the front door and called Al's name a few times. He was on the back side of the house. I plopped down next to him, "It really is nice here. It reminds me of my home."

Al tried to sound happy, but something in his voice was off, "Yeah…"

I turned toward him, slightly tilting my head in confusion, "Hey, Al, you okay? You seem a bit down."

"It's just that I don't remember a lot of things from here, like memories and most faces," Al admitted.

I thought for a second, taking time to word my answer properly, "Well, it has been four years right? A lot has happened in that small amount of time. It happens. My memory has never really been the best either."

The younger boy forced out a weak laugh. We sat in silence, just looking out over the rolling hills. This finally left me some time to think about what was going on with me. _'I have no idea what got ahold of my yesterday. I felt like I was a new Homunculus again. This hasn't happened since then. The only difference is that I have been pretending to act human, like I wasn't some monster.'_

I inwardly sighed. _'Alright, maybe I haven't been completely acting. Damnit, I just can't help it. I like these two boys. I dunno, they just remind me of… Wait. Who do they remind me of? I get all of these memories but it's just a shape. Damn.'_ I racked my brain for any other thoughts or memories from my past, coming up with nothing.

'_Shit! What is going on with me? First my thoughts and now my memory too? How much more can I lose? Damn, why is this happening?!'_

Without warning, I stood up, "I'll be back soon."

Not giving Al a chance to respond, I started walking away. I walked upstream of a creek that passed by the house. My thoughts ran over the reasons why I'm just so off lately. The two conclusions I came to were either my coma was worse than I originally thought, or I was slowly losing my soul to the Homunculus in me. Before, that wouldn't bother me. But now that I remember what it feels like to be treated like a real person and not a toy to do someone's dirty work, I don't want to go back. Now I don't want to be a monster at all.

"My, my someone's deep in thought," a familiar voice called out.

I scowled, "I thought you said I was on my own for a while, Lust."

She jumped down from a branch that hung over the water. Her dangerous aura eerier in the light of dusk. Her voice matched the darkness in the sky, "Something's come up. The boy knows where Marcoh is hiding his notes. We need to find them before him. How long will he be and where is he going?"

"Central, in three days," I crossed my arms, clearly bored with the conversation at hand.

The dark haired woman smiled, "Good. By the way, Dante wants to see you when Edward is looking for the notes."

"What for?"

"I don't know, or care," she said as she left onto trees, heading away from town.

On the way back, I now had _another_ set of problems to deal with. When I got back to the Rockbells, Edward and Al sat on the porch, the former not looking too pleased.

"Where the hell have you been? It's been dark for an hour! And you've been gone for three!" the blonde fumed.

I sheepishly rubbed my right arm, "Sorry, I ended up following the stream and got a little bit too swept up in thought."

"See, Brother? She just got distracted. It happens," Al reassured his brother.

Edward huffed, "Whatever. Sorry for being worried when there is a man exploding people's heads _from the inside_ wandering around."

I smiled softly, it was nice to be cared about again. Why would I ever want to go back to the other Homunculi?

"I'm sorry," I apologized and followed them inside.

Granny Pinako started warming up some stew she had made for dinner. Once she placed the bowl in front of me – she didn't let me get anything myself – I apologized for the twentieth time.

"Don't worry. It's always good to get some time for yourself to think, and when you're around those boys, you don't get much time to," she assured.

I chortled, "That's for sure. I've been with them only for a few days, but it feels like months."

Granny smirked back at me, "Those boys sure do have a way with getting under your skin quickly."

I just grinned back and continued eating. I thanked the old woman once again when I was finished. I headed toward the door to the outside, "I'm going to sit outside. Who knows when I'll get this much peace and quiet again. Besides, it's such a beautiful night."

The woman took out her pipe to smile in permission and to tell me to take my time. I walked out the door and down the steps and lay in the grass. I really just looked up and stared at the stars, not really thinking about anything. I just savored the moment.

I heard the door open and close and footsteps coming down the stairs. Since the sound of each foot didn't match, I figured it was Edward. I heard him lay in the grass next to me, "You have a few questions that you need to answer."

"So do you," my tone followed his calm one.

He took my comment as a the go ahead, "First, how did you know about the fake priest Cornello?"

I paused, trying to formulate a good explanation, "Well, as creepy as it sounds, I followed you. I needed to make sure the rumors were true, and that you really do help people. When you left, I heard of Xenotime. Since you earned a name for yourself, it was easy to hear talk about you. Then when I went, I found out it wasn't you, but waited because I guessed the stone or fake brothers would attract you soon."

A pause. "Who are the people after you?"

I sighed, "People who were after my dad. I was sick and in a coma for about a year. My mom died when I was young from the same disease. I have no idea what happened when I was asleep, but all I know is that when I woke up, my dad was dead and they were after me. I need help. As much as I hate admitting it, I do. They're too strong for me. And honestly, I'm glad it's you two. You are strong in many ways that I could only ever dream of being. And after a few months of being along, it is just nice to have someone to be around."

I figured I would stick to the real story as much as possible. It would make it easier in the long run if I ever have to tell the real truth. A few minutes passed this time before he said anything, but his voice was even softer now, and a little sad, "I'm sorry. Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

Another sigh escaped my lips, "No, I'm on my own. My dad's parents disowned him when he became a State Alchemist, and my mom's family disowned her for marrying a 'dog of the state.'"

"Your dad was a State Alchemist?" Edward perked up in interest.

"Yeah, the Brain Alchemist. He was a genius. So he really just did research." More silence indicated that it was my turn, "So, what's your story?"

Edward took his turn to sigh, "My father was never really around when Al and I were growing up. Eventually, our mom got sick and died. He wasn't even there for the funeral. We were on our own. We made a dumb choice, and the consequences were Al losing his body and my right and left leg. Afterwards, I studied hard, burnt down out house, and became the youngest State Alchemist. All to fulfill my promise to Al on getting his body back."

"You'll keep it. You two are smart, nothing can stop you. It's quite amazing," I told him.

Silence followed my question and we just looked at the stars. Occasionally one of us would make a simple statement or ask a random question. No real conversation was between us, but I still felt like I got to know him more. When it started to get cold, Edward stood up and stuck out his only hand, "It's getting late and cold, we should go in."

I took his hand and stood up. He held my hand for a little longer, "Hey, Emma, I want you to know that you don't have to be alone again. I understand the feeling and don't want anyone to feel that way. Even after everything is done, you'll always have Al and I."

I smiled a genuine smile, "I appreciate that. I really do, Edward."

He let go of my hand and smiled back, "Call me Ed."

I nodded and followed him upstairs where we both passed out on our own beds.

Edward's arm was done in the morning. Armstrong and Al sat on the couch while I watched the two Rockbells hook up everything to Ed. Apparently connecting nerves to automail was extremely painful, and Edward looked nervous.

The two women counted down and turned the two levers. Even throught gritted teeth, Ed made loud grunts of pain. Armstrong and I were surprised, while Al couldn't bear to see his brother in so much pain. Pinako yelled to us and we helped move him to the couch Al and Armstrong were on. Winry ran to go get a blanket and pillow for him.

It was weird seeing someone so strong in so much pain. Normally, I wouldn't bat an eye. But… there was just something that bothered me about seeing him in pain. Edward was still slightly shaking and whimpering when everyone cleared the room. I wanted to comfort him, but I had no idea how.

Nonetheless, I sat on the floor next to Ed and lightly grabbed his hand. He squeezed mine immediately, but not enough to cause me any pain. I remembered my father doing this to my mom when she was in pain. I guess it was working though because he did sit and attempted to smile at me after an hour or so. His face ended up looking funny and I surpressed a laugh.

"What's so funny? It's not nice to laugh at someone who is in so much pain," he complained.

I shrugged, "Sorry, but you made a funny face. How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been hit by a train," he sulked some more.

"Oh, suck it up, you big baby," Winry teased as she walked into the room and sat next to Ed. She sounded so excited, "How do you like it? I tried to make the weight of the steel eighty percent less than before. We can't have it be so heavy that you don't grow any taller, right?"

Edward groaned at the comment, but still was moving and checking out his automail arm and leg.

"They _are_ lighter, so make sure you don't do anything reckless," she warned. "You can always replace automail, but you only have one life."

Ed smiled, "Right."

Winry got up and stretched and said she was going to bed, but mentioned how much she was charging Ed. I just got up and went to grab Armstrong so Al could be put back together. I helped him carry out all of the pieces to where the two brothers were waiting. Ed explained that the blood seal in the armor keeps Al's soul bound to the armor, and if it wasn't there, Al wouldn't be either. The fact that Ed used his own blood caused Armstrong to release his sparkles again.

Ed clapped his hands and touched Al, and in a few seconds, he was standing just as tall and normal as before.

"I feel wonderful, thanks, Brother!" Al checked out how everything worked.

"All right! So, should we do the usual?" Ed asked.

Armstrong and I gave him questioning looks and sounds.

The older brother nodded, "Our teacher always told us that in order to train the mind, you must first train the body. Al and I always spar with each other. However, I've never ever beaten him once!"

Armstrong's shirt flew off, "In that case, I will assist you!"

The two brothers turned him down and started to spar. It was really good until Armstrong decided to join in, and that's when I snuck back into the house.

"Hey, Winry," I walked over to her, seeing the pocket watch in her hands. I stood next to her as she stared at it. One side had a beautiful watch and the other had the words 'Don't forget 3. Oct. 10.' I was confused, "That's odd, my birthday is that day. What happened to them on that day?"

She shook her head, "I don't know…"

I could tell she had an idea, but let it drop. I shrugged and went upstairs to shower. When I came back downstairs, Winry attacked me.

"Your hair is so pretty! Can I braid it?" She asked as she ran her fingers through the curls.

I laughed and nodded. She dragged me to a seat and started sectioning off my hair, "Sorry. I've always wanted a younger sister. You even are interested in automail!"

I felt a warm peace inside of me, "I would love to be your honorary younger sister."

"At least someone considers us family," the woman commented with a slightly hostile tone.

The conversation dropped, but there was still a good atmosphere. When we were done, Pinako was also done with dinner. However, the three males were missing. Winry wondered where they were aloud.

"Hey, they'll be back here in no time. Just wait for them like we always do," Pinako said.

Winry still left the room. I followed her as she rummaged around. She pulled up a spotlight and went to the balcony. As she clicked it on and off in a cycling pattern, she explained, "Their mother always used to do it for them when they stayed out too late. You can see the light a mile away at night."

Soon enough, we saw the boys coming up the hill, Al running towards us. I smiled and waved. Even though it sounds corny, I was just relishing in the feeling of love, family, and friendship. Why couldn't this last forever?

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**Hope you enjoyed it! If it's that bad, I can always go back and revise it. I rushed a little bit. Quick shout out to everyone who reviewed and followed my story! Thank you! I throw my love virtually to you! Until next time! **


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